Narrator: Colombia grows almost all cut flowers
sold in the US.
And it takes 80,000 workers
across the country
to keep this massive operation going.
They have just 48 hours
to get each bundle of fresh flowers
to the United States
from the moment they're picked.
The work is fast-paced and repetitive,
and being able to pull it off
keeps bouquets cheap in the US.
But what is the true cost
of this billion-dollar trade?
Narrator: Colombia's warm weather
and quick flight time to the US
make it a great place to grow flowers
destined for the world's
biggest import market.
But there's another reason
why the industry blossomed.
The greatest domestic threat
facing our nation today is drugs.
Narrator: The US war on drugs
in the early '90s
helped the Colombian flower industry take off.
American politicians wanted to stop
cocaine trafficking from South America.
So Congress lowered taxes on legal imports
from countries like Colombia
to help other businesses
compete with cocaine.
Within two decades,
Colombian flower exports to the US
tripled in value.
Today, Colombia is the second-largest
flower producer in the world.
But keeping up with American demand
can be grueling,
especially in the lead-up
to Valentine's Day and Mother's Day.
People work up to 13 hours a day for weeks
cutting, stripping, stacking, and wrapping
over and over again.
This kind of repetitive work
wears away at muscles, tendons, and nerves,
which can lead
to chronic injuries and accidents.
There were more than 9,000 cases
of work-related injuries
in flower farms
between 2010 and 2019,
according to the Colombian health ministry.
Experts say that's a lot,
but it doesn't tell the whole story.
There's a lot of underreporting,
and the reason is simple:
People want to keep their jobs.
Some workers that are not feeling OK,
they still show up,
because they don't want
to lose their jobs.
And if they are responsible
for children or for other persons,
the situation is even worse.
Narrator: Laura and her daughter, Diana,
both got hurt working on flower farms.
Their names have been changed
to protect their privacy,
but their identities
are known to Insider.
Diana went back to work
after she fractured her tailbone in a fall
but was eventually fired
because she was less productive.
Narrator: Her mother Laura
suffered five injuries
over 19 years working on flower farms.
Narrator: She used to cut 1,800 flowers a day.
Now, at 46 years old,
she can barely walk on her own.
Narrator: It all started
with carpal tunnel syndrome in 2008.
Laura was working on a farm
similar to this one
called Finca Santa Barbara.
Her job was to harvest roses.
Narrator: She switched tasks
to pull weeds instead,
but the work was still repetitive.
Her injuries kept coming.
Narrator: Laura had to get back surgery
in early 2021
to remove two herniated disks.
They were so bad
that they permanently damaged
two vertebrae in her lower back.
Narrator: Laura's health issues
are widespread across many industries.
They're among the five most common
work-related injuries in Colombia.
Work-related musculoskeletal disorders
are the second-biggest
cause of disability
around the world.
And jobs like mining,
construction, and manufacturing
have some of the highest rates.
But even tasks that may seem harmless,
like picking roses,
can lead to issues like this.
In a 2021 study
of 270 Kenyan flower farm workers,
nearly 70% reported work-related
musculoskeletal disorders.
Lope: The cutting especially,
we have identified
that in addition to being repetitive,
it requires application of force.
Anything above 5% of your maximum capability
when you conduct it
for a long period of time,
then you are at a higher risk
of getting these diseases.
Narrator: So is it possible to know
if a flower sold in the US
was grown at a farm that treats
their employees well?
Right now, the closest thing we have
is the Florverde, or FSF, certification.
It requires companies to meet
labor and environmental standards.
Some flower farms are getting creative
when it comes to preventing
repetitive stress injuries.
Redil Roses has been certified
for more than five years.
Employees get at least
three stretching breaks a day.
It's part of the company's efforts
to help workers avoid
the kinds of injuries
that Laura suffers from.
Narrator: Many workers at Redil Roses
choose to work overtime in the lead-up
to Valentine's Day and Mother's Day.
Narrator: Every year,
the company gets audited
to maintain its FSF certification.
Auditors with Florverde
check for injury-prevention programs
and documentation of worker injuries and accidents.
Florverde says that more than half
of all Colombian flower farms
are FSF-certified.
The farm Laura worked at was not.
Laura has been on paid sick leave
for over a year.
But her employer requires her
to send a new doctor's note
every two weeks.
It's the only way
she can keep collecting checks
from the company.
And because she's a single mother,
it's the only income for her two children.
Narrator: Laura is trying to access
her retirement pension
so that she doesn't need
those doctor's notes to get paid.
But the pension company requires
a team of doctors
to sign a document
confirming that all of her injuries
were caused by work.
Laura says it's been hard
to get all of her doctors to cooperate.
Narrator: We reached our to Laura's employer,
health insurance provider, and doctors,
but none of them responded.