Projects

Changing farm demographics influence hazard exposure, prevention tactics, communication channel choices, and resource preferences. This project seeks information from traditional, retired, residential/hobby, and organic farmers to identify the differences and similarities among farmers. The traditional farmers are separated into two income groups resulting in five groups.  In the first year of the project three data collection methods were used:

• National Agricultural Statistics Service administered a survey to 1,038 farmers in seven Midwestern states asking questions about hazard recognition, information preferences, prevention strategies, communication channels, and child/youth injury prevention practices. A response rate of 20.7% produced 223 completed surveys.
• Face to face interviews were completed with 510 farm family members during agricultural shows, fairs and farmers markets in the CS-CASH 7 state region. Five questions about demographics and nine questions about safety and health issues were asked.
• Focus groups were conducted with three of the five demographic farmer groups in ND, SD and MN. Each group addressed five questions about changes in farm safety and health, communication channels, and prevention techniques used within the family. Focus groups with organic and larger income traditional farmers are planned for Nebraska and Iowa.

Data collected from the each method will be compiled and compared to identify the differences and similarities among the various farm groups. This information will be used to develop relevant resources for each group, pilot tested with each farmer group, and adapted upon results.

 

Project: National Agricultural Safety Database
Charles Schwab, PhD
PI Bio

The National Ag Safety Database (NASD; www.nasdonline.org) is the most widely recognized and used Internet based assemblage of educational resources related to human health and safety in production agriculture.  The goal of this project is to make vital audience targeted educational resources from NIOSH centers, researchers, educators, and standards accessible to end users in the agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting industry.  To accomplish this goal we propose to identify, solicit and add new safety and health print and non-print materials to the database, including: fact sheets, circulars, bulletins, newsletters, manuals, videos, interactive modules, and audio files.  In addition to media development original on-line training units will be established. NASD and NIOSH safety and health efforts will be promoted through professional organizations, newsletters, and outreach programming efforts.  NASD will be featured in newsletters that reach thousands of people who have a special interest in safety and health.  

Pilot Project: AgHealth Nebraska: a novel preventive health services model of Nebraska farm families
Matt Beacom, MD
PI Bio 

The AgHealth Nebraska model will address the needs of farm families.  By incorporating AgriSafe network, Certified Safe Farm and wellness concepts into modern rural clinical practice we aim to detect serious health conditions at an early stage, identify and remove injury and illness hazards, set personal wellness goals and provide incentives for farmers to manage their health and wellness.

Pilot Project: Emergent, Re-emergent, and Persistent Issues in Agricultural Safety and Health in Nebraska and the CS-CASH Region
Murray Madsen

Current agricultural injury and fatality press clips are analyzed, coded, and entered into an accessible dataset that is distributed each month to facilitate discovery of issues, including the newly-emergent, and encourage dialogue and information exchange.  Quarterly summaries were prepared to help track the evolving, persistent experience of producers and to highlight targets for continuing prevention-intervention work. To date in CY2012, press clips have captured 73 fatal and 76 nonfatal events; 75% of fatal and 70% of nonfatal events involved mobile machinery.  Overturns and run-overs are about two-thirds of the mobile machinery deaths; collisions between farm equipment and motor vehicles top the non-fatal injuries at 42%.  Five media messages were created and disseminated about clashes between farm equipment and motor vehicles on roadways, safety in the pasture at calving time, using past CFOI and press clip information to guide prevention efforts for the harvest season ahead (MN and NE), and strategies for a safer end in production agriculture this year in our region. Sample testing is underway to evaluate hyperlinks from database records to source clippings on the internet to further attract and assist researchers. We are beginning to analyze relationships between nonfatal injury events in press clippings and injuries reported in survey work by CS-CASH with USDA NASS.

 

Pilot Project: Prevention and Treatment of Agricultural Respiratory Disorders: A Pilot Educational Program of Rural health Care NPs and PAs
Kathy Morris, DPN, APRN, FNP-C, FAANP
PI Bio

Agricultural workers are exposed to an ever expanding number of potentially harmful agents that can affect the respiratory system. The prevention and treatment of acute and chronic illness related to agricultural respiratory disorders, is a necessary component in caring for the rural agricultural worker. In Nebraska, Nurse Practitioners (NPs) and Physician Assistants (PAs) provide care in rural areas of the state however many have not had any formal education regarding agricultural related respiratory diseases. This study will evaluate the knowledge level of NPs and PAs regarding evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of agricultural respiratory diseases, identify agriculture respiratory irritant specific to Nebraska and pilot an innovative, evidence-based, continuing education program utilizing problem-based learning strategies.

Pilot Project: Certified Safe Farm Pilot Program
Sherry Morrow, EdS, MS
This project aims to establish Certified Safe Farms in Nebraska working in partnership with insurance companies and health organizations. By working closely with our partners and the farms, we hope to identify ways to improve agriculture safety and health.  Best practices will be identified and shared with other participating farms.  From the information obtained the Nebraska Safety Center will look at designing new, effective farm safety awareness programs. Possible examples of programs will include a monthly safety article in farm publications, media releases timed to coincide with peak injury times on farms, public service ads and specialized training in areas deemed appropriate.