Although there was some evidence that workers not
authorized for U.S. employment had experienced somewhat more beneficial workplace conditions, with greater availability of drinking water, toilets and wash water, workers who were not authorized for U.S. employment showed an increased prevalence of occupational and behavioral risks to health. This curious and unexpected result may reflect increased enforcement activity in California during the period prior to 1999. As previously noted in the present study, undocumented workers were more likely to have been employed by farm labor contractors. The stepped up enforcement of field sanitation standards in the state during the 1990s by both Federal and State agencies was primarily focused on farm labor contractors.