Violations at Worker Camps in Eastern NC

A new study is detailing housing violations for migrant workers in Eastern North Carolina.

Jeff Tiberii: Researchers from Wake Forest University found violations at all 183 worker camps they examined. Bacteria from human waste were found in the drinking water at 61 of those camps. Dr. Thomas Arcury Directs the Center for Worker Health at Wake Forest School of Medicine. He wrote the report.

Thomas Arcury: There were violations in terms of the number of showers per person, the number of beds per worker, the infestation of rodents, cockroaches in the dwelling. Some of the housing did not appear safe there was holes in it.

 The study examined farms that produce tobacco, cucumbers, sweet potatoes and fruits. Arcury is calling on greater oversight from the state Department of Labor and additional inspectors at the camps. A call to the Department of Labor was not returned.