Safety Council Research Articles

Agricultural Safety Training: California Style

ABSTRACT In response to 1990 regulations in California, agricultural industry leaders formed a coalition with academic institutions and farm organizations to ensure they were compliant with new standards for worker safety in agricultural work settings. Out of this coalition emerged a not-for-profit organization, AgSafe. This was followed by a formal training program, the California Agricultural Safety Certificate Program. Now with more than 10 years' experience, this program has evolved into a highly successful initiative that garners industry support throughout the state. Courses can be taken at one annual event or at intervals, including regionalized offerings. The AgSafe program and other training workshops have helped agricultural producers/employers more rapidly and effectively adopt best management practices in an increasingly more complicated regulatory environment. In the process it has enhanced a culture of safety and introduced valuable strategies that increase productivity while improving safety and health outcomes for workers. To date, nearly 550 individuals have secured certificates of completion that reflect at least 15 hours of formal coursework. English- and Spanish-language training is offered in a manner that is responsive to the learning styles of a multicultural workforce. California's approach for safety training of agricultural workers can serve as a model for enhancing respect and cooperation among employers, workers, and safety professionals. Barbara C. Lee is Director, National Farm Medicine Center, Marshfield, Wisconsin, and Administrative Director, Agricultural Safety and Health Council of America. Amy Wolfe is Executive Director, AgSafe, Modesto, California. James M. Meyers recently retired from a position as a Cooperative Extension Specialist, University of California, Berkeley, as well as University of California, Davis. He maintains involvement in regional agricultural issues.

Agricultural Health and Safety: Incorporating the Worker Perspective

ABSTRACT This commentary offers a worker's perspective on agricultural health and safety and describes (1) the historical exemption of agriculture from regulatory oversight and barriers encountered due to lack of regulations and poor enforcement of the existing standards; (2) the effect of immigration status on worker protections; and (3) the basic desire for economic survival and how this impacts worker health and safety. The commentary describes two models to reduce hazards at work that illustrate how workers' perspectives can be incorporated successfully at the policy level and during the intervention development process and puts forth recommendations for employers, researchers, and funding agencies to facilitate the integration of workers' perspectives into occupational health and safety in agriculture. Ultimately, improved worker protection requires systemic policy and regulatory changes as well as strong enforcement of existing regulations. This commentary summarizes the presentation, “Ground View: Perspectives of Hired Workers,” at the Agricultural Safety and Health Council of America/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health conference, “Be Safe, Be Profitable: Protecting Workers in Agriculture,” January 27–28, 2010, Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas.

Tractors and Rollover Protection in the United States

ABSTRACT There are approximately 4.2 million tractors on farms and ranches across the United States. The average age of tractors is over 25 years and some of the oldest models are the most popular. Older tractors are less safe than newer tractors, and many older tractors are operated by individuals with increased risk of being injured or killed on a tractor. A key tractor safety device, a rollover protective structure (ROPS), is missing from most tractors manufactured before 1985. Data from the US Department of Labor's Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) suggest that the production agriculture sector accounts for approximately 70.3% of the 3299 work deaths in the Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing industry between 2003 and 2007. Nearly 900 of these incidents involve farm tractors and of these, approximately 43% were from tractor overturns. Efforts to reduce both the number of tractor overturn fatalities and injuries have been underway for years. These efforts primarily encompass worker education/training programs and activities, ROPS design and engineering applications, and research on more effective ways of encouraging tractor owners to retrofit their older tractors with ROPS. This paper reviews various approaches available to reduce the fatalities, serious injuries, and economic burden associated with tractor overturns. Past and current efforts to promote ROPS in the United States and in other countries, current safe tractor operations education and training programs, and ROPS-related safety engineering projects are discussed. Recommendations for advancing safe tractor operation and the number of tractors protected by ROPS are given. This review was prepared for the Agricultural Safety and Health Council of America/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health conference, “Be Safe, Be Profitable: Protecting Workers in Agriculture,” January 2010.

The Global View: Issues Affecting US Production Agriculture

ABSTRACT This paper discusses small events occurring among developing countries, particularly but not exclusively in Asia, and their subsequent large impacts on net food exporting countries in the world, particularly, but not exclusively, located in the Western hemisphere. A Green Revolution II is underway as a result where the world's agricultural system will produce more (output) with less (inputs). Agriculture will meet the rapidly growing demand for bio-based foods, fuels, feeds, and fiber while reducing input usage, preserving the natural environment, and maintaining native ecosystems. In turn agricultural workers will receive a health dividend as chemical usage falls, automation, metering, and sensing technologies rise, and exposure to harsh environmental, both natural and man-made, conditions is reduced. This paper was prepared for the Agricultural Safety and Health Council of America/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Conference, “Be Safe, Be Profitable: Protecting Workers in Agriculture,” January 27–28, 2010, Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas.

Livestock Handling—Minimizing Worker Injuries

ABSTRACT Numerous hazards may occur on farms raising livestock. Animal contact is often ranked as the first or second leading cause of injuries on the farm. In addition to direct trauma from the animal, other injuries may occur from injection of medications, chemical splashes from cleaning the facility, and repetitive motion injuries. Exposures to toxic gases from decomposition of animal waste such as in manure pits and exposure to animal allergens may cause adverse health effects in humans. One additional consideration is the risk of developing various zoonotic infections. Human injuries happen more often when people are handling animals than during any other activity performed in pork production. The National Pork Board of the United States, in response to a request from pork producers, has developed a program designed to improve worker safety, pig welfare, and pork quality when pigs are moved for whatever reason. The objective of the Transport Quality Assurance™ (TQA) program is to help all those who transport, produce, or handle swine to do so in a way that is optimal for the pigs' well-being, the health of the handler, and to improve the quality of the pork produced. Understanding basic pig behavior, proper handling practices, and using proper handling equipment will help animal handling be a safe activity. This paper was prepared for the Agricultural Safety and Health Council of America/National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health Conference, “Be Safe, Be Profitable: Protecting Workers in Agriculture,” January 27–28, 2010, Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas.

Preventing Heat-Related Illness Among Agricultural Workers

ABSTRACT Hyperthermia from exertion and environmental conditions during agricultural work manifests itself by various symptoms and may lead to death. From 1992 through 2006, 68 workers employed in crop production and related services died from heat-related illness. The crop worker fatality rate averaged 4 heat-related deaths per one million workers per year—20 times higher than the 0.2 rate for US civilian workers overall. Many of the agricultural workers who died were foreign-born. Foreign-born workers tend to have limited English language skills and often are not acclimatized to exertion in hot weather when beginning seasonal jobs. Increased recognition of heat hazards to agricultural workers, in particular, has stimulated concern among employers, workers, and public policy makers. California and Washington have led the nation in adopting workplace safety standards designed to prevent heat-related illnesses. These state regulations include new specific requirements for employer provision of drinking water, shade for rest or other sufficient means to recover from heat, worker and supervisor training, and written heat safety plans. Agricultural employers face practical challenges in fulfilling the purpose and complying with these standards. By their very nature the standards impose generic requirements in a broad range of circumstances and may not be equally protective in all agricultural work settings. It is vital that employers and supervisors have a thorough knowledge of heat illness prevention to devise and implement safety measures that suit local conditions. Ongoing risk-based assessment of current heat conditions by employers is important to this safety effort. Workers need training to avoid heat illness and recognize the symptoms in themselves and coworkers. Innovative management practices are joining time-honored approaches to controlling heat stress and strain. Research targeted to answer questions about heat accumulation and dissipation during agricultural work and audience-sensitive education to promote understanding of basic physiology and recognition of hyperthermia symptoms can aid in heat illness prevention. This review was prepared for the Agricultural Safety and Health Council of America/ National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health conference, “Be Safe, Be Profitable: Protecting Workers in Agriculture,” Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, January 27–28, 2010.

Overcoming Language and Literacy Barriers in Safety and Health Training of Agricultural Workers

ABSTRACT The workforce in all areas of United States agriculture and forestry is becoming increasingly diverse in language, culture, and education. Many agricultural workers are immigrants who have limited English language skills and limited educational attainment. Providing safety and health training to this large, diverse, dispersed, and often transient population of workers is challenging. This review, prepared for the 2010 Agricultural Safety and Health Council of America/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health conference, “Be Safe, Be Profitable: Protecting Workers in Agriculture,” is divided into five sections. First, we describe the occupational and demographic characteristics of agricultural workers in the United States to highlight their safety and health training needs. Second, we summarize current research on the social and cultural attributes of agricultural workers and agricultural employers that affect the provision of safety and health training. Worker and employer attributes include language, literacy, financial limitations, work beliefs, and health beliefs. Third, we review current initiatives addressing safety and health training for agricultural workers that consider worker language and literacy. These initiatives are limited to a few specific topics (e.g., pesticides, heat stress); they do not provide general programs of safety training that would help establish a culture of workplace safety. However, several innovative approaches to health and safety training are being implemented, including the use of community-based participatory approaches and lay health promoter programs. Fourth, the limited industry response for safety training with this linguistically diverse and educationally limited workforce is summarized. Finally, gaps in knowledge and practice are summarized and recommendations to develop educationally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate safety and health training are presented.

Respiratory Issues in Beef and Pork Production: Recommendations From an Expert Panel

This paper summarizes “Respiratory Issues in Confined Feeding Operations,” a panel discussion at the Agricultural Safety and Health Council of America/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health conference, “Be Safe, Be Profitable: Protecting Workers in Agriculture,” Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, January 27–28, 2010. Occupational exposure to confined animal feeding operations is associated with cough, wheezing, and shortness of breath. Published data shows that 20% to 40% of hog confinement workers experience such symptoms, although most are able to continue working in this industry. Endotoxin is one component of hog barn dust that is associated with respiratory disease in workers. Endotoxin levels on cattle feedlots can also be in the range linked with occupational lung disease. The cattle industry has not yet prepared guidance documents for producers, in part because much less is known about the prevalence of lung disease in its workers. However, the pork industry provides information for pork producers on reducing their respiratory health risks through a multifaceted approach, including the use of respirators. Some jobs cannot be done safely without respiratory protection, such as entering manure pits. It is less clear for other jobs when respirators should be worn. Use of respiratory protection should be considered but not mandated for all persons working in close proximity to livestock in dusty conditions. A respiratory protection program may also serve as a cost effective biosecurity measure to protect animals from human pathogens such as influenza virus. Proper design and management of barn ventilation systems is critical for maintaining temperature and humidity levels for optimal animal growth; as well as decreasing the level of gases and respirable dusts. The pork and the cattle industries support occupational health and safety; however, the governmental guidance and recommendations for such programs are limited for the agricultural industries as a whole. The industries should lead the way in the effort to improve respiratory protection for workers. Overall, a team approach that includes input from managers, workers, and veterinarians is important for the reduction of respiratory hazards on livestock farms.

Preharvest Food Safety: What Do the Past and the Present Tell Us About the Future?

ABSTRACT This paper summarizes the Pre-Harvest Food Safety Panel presentation at the Agricultural Safety and Health Council of America/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health conference, “Be Safe, Be Profitable: Protecting Workers in Agriculture,” Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, January 27–28, 2010. The ways we produce food and the ways consumers perceive agriculture have changed, bringing new challenges and new opportunities for human, animal, and environmental well-being. Issues that increasingly confront food producers today are about assuring the quality, safety, and security of the food products they produce. There are challenges and opportunities for protecting human health by controlling the presence of chemical, biological, and physical hazards in food. Today, demand for food products and the food producer's financial bottomline are affected by emerging preharvest acquired biological hazards such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, antibiotic resistance, multidrug-resistant Salmonella, enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC; e.g. E. coli O157:H7), and other food safety pathogens. Years ago these issues were largely unheard of, but other zoonotic pathogens dominated the food safety landscape. Lessons of the past and examination of the present may provide insight into the future of food safety. There remains a need to fund food safety research that helps policy makers understand the marginal costs and benefits of science-based interventions at various levels of food production.

Ergonomic Risks and Musculoskeletal Disorders in Production Agriculture: Recommendations for Effective Research to Practice

ABSTRACT Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are increasingly recognized as a significant hazard of agricultural occupation. In agricultural jobs with significant physical labor, MSDs are typically the most frequently reported injury. Although not as lethal as tractor roll-overs, MSDs can result in disability, lost work time, and increased production costs. MSDs increase production costs as a result of worker absence, medical and insurance costs, decreased work capacity, and loss of employees to turnover and competition from other less physically demanding industries. This paper will provide an overview of what is currently known about MSDs in agriculture, including high-risk commodities, tasks and work practices, and the related regulatory factors and workers' compensation costs. As agricultural production practices evolve, the types of MSDs also change, as do ergonomic risk factors. One example is the previous higher rates of knee and hip arthritis identified in farmers in stanchion dairies evolving into upper extremity tendonitis, arthritis, and carpal tunnel syndrome now found in milking technicians in dairy milking parlors. This paper summarizes the presentation, “Musculoskeletal Disorders in Labor-Intensive Operations,” at the Agricultural Safety and Health Council of America/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health conference, “Be Safe, Be Profitable: Protecting Workers in Agriculture,” January 27–28, 2010, Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas. The primary focus of the paper is to address current research on ergonomic solutions for MSDs in agriculture. These include improved tools, carts or equipment, as well as work practices. One of the key challenges in this area pertains to measurement, due to the fact that musculoskeletal strain is a chronic condition that can come and go, with self-reported pain as its only indicator. Alternative measurement methods will be discussed. Finally, the implementation of research into practice is reviewed, with an emphasis on best practices that have been demonstrated to be effective in the agricultural setting, based on worker acceptance and comfort, improved productivity, and decreased MSDs. The paper will provide an overview for agricultural stakeholders as to the current science and practice of ergonomics in agriculture.

Pesticides and Other Chemicals: Minimizing Worker Exposures

ABSTRACT Pesticides, ammonia, and sanitizers, all used in agricultural production present ongoing risks for exposed workers. Pesticides continue to poison workers despite elimination of some of the most toxic older products. Obligatory reporting of pesticide poisonings exists in 30 states and surveillance of poisoning occurs in only 12. Estimates of poisoning numbers have been based on sampling but funding for this is scant and in constant jeopardy. There appears to be a downward trend in poisonings nationally based on SENSOR data. Newer more pest-specific pesticides are generally less toxic and present less health risks but may have unpredicted health effects in humans that may not emerge until used widely. Internationally, older cheaper chemicals continue to be used with serious consequences in many developing countries. Monitoring workers for overexposure to pesticides broadly is impractical with the exception of the cholinesterase inhibitors. We can learn much from monitoring systems. Unfortunately, monitoring tools are economically inaccessible for most other chemical groups. New technologies for toxicity testing will necessitate new biomonitoring tools that should be supplied by the producers of these chemicals and made available for protecting worker and the public. Protection of workers from pesticides is primarily based on personal protective equipment use, which presents significant hardship for workers in hot environments and is generally considered the least effective approach on the hierarchy of controls in worker protection. Isolation through the use of closed systems has been employed, though rarely studied as to effectiveness in field use. Substitution or replacing harmful substances with safer ones is underway as more pest specific chemicals enter the pesticide portfolio and older ones drop out. This paper summarizes the panel presentation, “Minimizing Exposures to Pesticides and Other Chemicals,” at the Agricultural Safety and Health Council of America/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health conference, “Be Safe, Be Profitable: Protecting Workers in Agriculture,” Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, January 27–28, 2010. The panel presented several different aspects of agrochemicals and health. The discussion aimed at identifying important practical opportunities to begin to decrease agricultural worker overexposure.

The development of a European fatal accident database

A lack of representative European accident data to aid the development of safety policy, regulation and technological advancement is a major obstacle in the European Union. Data are needed to assess the performance of road and vehicle safety and also to support the development of further actions by stakeholders. A recent analysis conducted by the European Transport Safety Council identified that there was no single system in place that could meet all of the needs and that there were major gaps including in-depth crash causation information. This paper describes the process of developing a data collection and analysis system designed to partly fill these gaps. A project team with members from seven countries was set up to devise appropriate variable lists to collect fatal crash data, using retrospective detailed police reports (n = 1300), under the following topic levels: accident, road environment, vehicle and road user. The typical level of detail recorded was a minimum of 150 variables for each accident. The project will enable multidisciplinary information on the circumstances of fatal crashes to be interpreted to provide information on a range of causal factors and events surrounding the collisions. This has major applications in the areas of active safety systems, infrastructure and road safety, as well as for tailoring behavioural interventions.

Estimating fatality rates in occupational light vehicle users using vehicle registration and crash data

To estimate occupational light vehicle (OLV) fatality numbers using vehicle registration and crash data and compare these with previous estimates based on workers' compensation data. New South Wales (NSW) Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) vehicle registration and crash data were obtained for 2004. NSW is the only Australian jurisdiction with mandatory work-use registration, which was used as a proxy for work-relatedness. OLV fatality rates based on registration data as the denominator were calculated and comparisons made with published 2003/04 fatalities based on workers' compensation data. Thirty-four NSW RTA OLV-user fatalities were identified, a rate of 4.5 deaths per 100,000 organisationally registered OLV, whereas the Australian Safety and Compensation Council (ASCC), reported 28 OLV deaths Australia-wide. More OLV user fatalities were identified from vehicle registration-based data than those based on workers' compensation estimates and the data are likely to provide an improved estimate of fatalities specific to OLV use. OLV-use is an important cause of traumatic fatalities that would be better identified through the use of vehicle-registration data, which provides a stronger evidence base from which to develop policy responses.

New Seismic Hazard Maps for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands

The probabilistic methodology developed by the U.S. Geological Survey is applied to a new seismic hazard assessment for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Modeled seismic sources include gridded historical seismicity, subduction-interface and strike-slip faults with known slip rates, and two broad zones of crustal extension with seismicity rates constrained by GPS geodesy. We use attenuation relations from western North American and worldwide data, as well as a Caribbean-specific relation. Results are presented as maps of peak ground acceleration and 0.2- and 1.0-second spectral response acceleration for 2% and 10% probabilities of exceedance in 50 years (return periods of about 2,500 and 500 years, respectively). This paper describes the hazard model and maps that were balloted by the Building Seismic Safety Council and recommended for the 2003 NEHRP Provisions and the 2006 International Building Code.

Neutron dosimetry inside the containment building of Spanish nuclear power plants with PADC based dosemeters

The Spanish Nuclear Safety Council (Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear, CSN) recommends performing neutron individual dose assignments at workplaces based on ambient dose equivalent measurements using area monitors and by estimating the amount of time that workers spend in the different monitored environments. In addition, some Spanish nuclear power plants estimate the neutron dose equivalent using albedo thermoluminescence dosemeters (TLD). In the period 2004–2006, our group, together with other research centers, participated in a project, funded by the CSN, with the support of the Spanish Nuclear Power Plants Association (UNESA), to investigate in situ which could be the best practical procedure for individual neutron dose monitoring in nuclear power plants. As part of this survey, several units of the UAB PADC based neutron dosemeter were exposed, on a methacrylate phantom simulating a human body, at four different places inside the containment building of the Ascó I nuclear power plant. The influence of different types of calibration neutron fields is analysed and the dose equivalent for each point is estimated.

Classroom Versus Computer-based CPR Training: A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Two Instructional Methods

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine whether computer-based CPR training is comparable to traditional classroom training. Design and Setting: This study was quantitative in design. Data was gathered from a standardized examination and skill performance evaluation which yielded numerical scores. Subjects: The subjects were 64 undergraduate freshmen who never had CPR training or performed CPR. The subjects were divided into two groups. Group 1 completed the National Safety Council Adult CPR training program via traditional classroom instruction, while Group 2 completed the online version. Measurements: After training, both groups completed the standardized knowledge examination and skill performance evaluation. Skill performance was evaluated by trained evaluators and Resusci Anne computerized CPR manikins. Results: On the standardized knowledge examination and skill performance evaluation, Group 2 scored lower than Group 1; however, no statistically significant difference between the groups existed. MANOVA indicated there was a significant difference in the quality of CPR compressions (location, rate, depth, and release), ventilation rate and volume. Conclusions: Computer-based CPR training may be as effective as traditional classroom CPR training in terms of knowledge outcomes. However, the computer-based CPR training method may not be as effective as traditional classroom-based training in terms of developing quality CPR performance. These results are critical, as quality of CPR effort performed on a cardiac arrest victim has a direct impact on effectiveness.

Modeling using dynamic variables – An approach for the design of loss prevention programs

Records from The National Safety Council [ National Safety Council, 2007. Safety Intervention Evaluation: A Systematic Approach. < http://www.acgih.org/events/ControlBand/Thomas_SafetyIntervention.pdf> (accessed 10.01.07)] have shown that in 2004 alone, on-the-job injuries to workers constituted 35% of total recorded injuries in the United States. This generated an associated cost of about $142.2 billion. Unfortunately, the safety intervention programs enforced at work places to mitigate such losses are driven mainly by intuition and experience of involved safety personnel. This paper details implementing a computer program to furnish safety personnel with an empirical basis for designing loss prevention programs based on historical safety data. The computer tool is driven by a dynamic mathematical model which adapts itself to variations in data patterns and explains the correlation between historical incident rates and corresponding resources committed to interventions. This study empowers the industry with a tool that is capable of forming the core of optimizing valuable human resource allocation in safety program designs.

Members of Safety and Reliability Society Council

Members of Safety and Reliability Society Council

Changes in radiological protection and quality control in Spanish dental installations: 1996-2003

The European Union has established specific directives concerning radiological protection which are obligatory for member States. In addition, all Spanish dental clinics with radiological equipment are required to have an annual quality control check. To analyze the effect of new European legislation on dental radiological practice in Spain and to determine whether it has resulted in lower doses being administered to patients. A total of 10,171 official radiological quality control reports on Spanish dental clinics, covering 16 autonomous regions, were studied following the passing of Royal Decree 2071/1995 on quality criteria in radiodiagnostic installations. The reports, compiled by U.T.P.R Asigma S.A., a company authorised by the Nuclear Safety Council, cover the years 1996 to 2003, which has enabled us to monitor the evolution of radiological procedures in dental clinics over a seven year period. According to the reports for 2003, 77.3 % of clinics complied with EU requirements, using equipment of 70 kVp, 8 mA, 1.5 mm Al filters, with a collimator length of 20 cm. However, non-compliance was detected in approximately a third (30.8%) of the equipment inspected: alterations in the kilovoltage used, exposure time, performance of the tubing, dosage, linearity/intensity of current and acoustic-luminous signal 6.86%. The mean skin dose reached 3.11 mGy for patients who received an x-ray of an upper molar, representing a decrease of 18% over the seven years studied. there has obviously been a general improvement in the parameters studied, but only 77.3% of the installations complied fully with official EU regulations concerning dental radiological protection.

Foreign body airway obstruction

According to the National Safety Council’s statistics, foreign-body airway obstruction (FBAO) is the fourth leading cause of unintentional death, resulting in 5,051 documented deaths in 2015. In children under the age of 16, foreign-body airway obstruction is one of the leading causes of accidental deaths. Due to the prevalence and rapidity of unconsciousness and death associated with choking, all persons, including those outside of the health field, should have a basic understanding of how to care for a choking victim. Simple maneuvers taught to lay-people, such as the Heimlich maneuver, have been proven to save lives. Besides complete foreign body airway obstruction that is immediately life-threatening, partial airway obstructions can impede gas exchange and lead to dyspnea, pneumonia, and abscess formation.