Methods for Identifying the Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing Workforce Population - Agriculture Forestry and Fishing Research at NIOSH - page 300

September 1999) supported by NIOSH funding. The interviews included inquiries
specifically designed to probe the occupational safety and health status of hired
farm laborers, and some of the queries were permanently added to the NAWS after
the end of NIOSH supplementary support.
A NIOSH report on the findings of the occupational health supplement, by
Andrea Steege and Sherry Baron, has been completed and has undergone extensive
outside review. At this writing, the report is moving through the NIOSH internal
approval process. 7
EMPLOYMENT DATA ON INDIVIDUAL STATES
A number of important farm states, such as California and Washington, have
universal UI requirements for virtually all private-sector workers. Thus, compre-
hensive employment data are regularly published or otherwise made available on
workers in the major industry sectors, often at both the state and regional levels
and sometimes also at the county level. Employment data are compiled for the
pay period that includes the 12th day of each month of each calendar quarter with
corresponding payroll summaries. For example, California publishes a monthly
Agricultural Bulletin and an annual supplement providing annual average employ-
ment data for all the major NAICS categories related to farm employment (CA
EDD, 2007). The findings are based on a random cross-sectional sample of firms
that file quarterly reports to meet their UI obligations. Findings for the state as a
whole and each of the state's six crop regions are reported.
The California findings can be compared with the findings for that state as
determined by federal surveys, such as the FLS. Such a comparison can yield useful
information on the effectiveness of coverage of federal and state surveys. Table E-5
shows one such comparison; it compares a special compilation of all individual
quarterly reports submitted by farm employers (universal reporting), Agricultural
Bulletin survey data, and FLS survey data on California employment by farm labor
contractors. Because quarterly tax reports of employment and payroll by employers
determines their UI tax obligations, whereas the FLS and the Agricultural Bulletin
are based on self-reports of total employment, both surveys are likely to understate
a substantial portion of farm-labor contractor employment in California.
WORKERS' COMPENSATION INSURANCE REPORTS
More than a dozen states require workers' compensation insurance coverage for
nearly all private-sector employees. Some states, such as Washington, require the
7 Sherry Baron, private communication, March 6, 2007.