The NAWSPAD, NIOSH, and EPA files were constructed under two guiding principles:

  1. To protect the privacy rights of the crop worker respondents and the agricultural employers at whose establishments the workers were interviewed; and
  2. To provide data sets that allow in-depth analysis of the demographic, employment, and health characteristics of hired crop workers at both the regional and national level.

  • The following protections have been built into these public data files:

    • The names and addresses of employers and respondents are not included in the files.
    • Detailed information from the work grid is available only for the current job. Additional information on work history is available in summary form only, for example, the number of weeks worked or the number of farm employers.
    • Detailed household grid information is available only for the respondent. Information on other household members is available in summary form only; for example, the number of children in various age groups.
    • The primary crop and task at the time of the interview were collapsed into five and six categories, respectively.
    • Data from questions that provide information that might reveal identity are omitted. For example, birth location and birth date are not reported.
    • The fiscal year (October through September) during which the data were collected is available, but not the month.
    • The stratification variables for season and location of the interview are masked. The 12 sampling regions were collapsed into 6 analysis regions; and the season of interview variable 'cycle' is not available. In addition, the primary sampling unit is not available.