Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health最新文献

Highlights: Parents did not see themselves as role models for children regarding use of quad bikes. Parents seemed to misjudge their children's maturity and capabilities. Risk acceptance was a common issue, due to risk normalization. There is a need for an age limit for drivers of adult-size quad bikes.

Abstract: When seeking to explain the many accidents involving children on quad bikes, it is critical to understand the norms and risk perceptions of their parents, because parents are responsible for their children's safety. This study explored attitudes and behavior among parents of rural children using quad bikes and their experiences of incidents and injuries. Information obtained from two focus group discussions, one with young adults and one with parents, and an in-depth interview with a quad bike distributor was used to develop an interview guide. The guide was used in telephone interviews with Swedish parents (n = 41) and some children ages 5 to 14 (n = 9) between autumn 2015 and spring 2016. Analysis of the results revealed eight themes: (1) how quad bikes are used, (2) risk awareness, (3) safety information could help other parents, (4) parents' perception of children's abilities, (5) children's learning, (6) children`s perspective, (7) rules and responsibilities, and (8) risk acceptance. Major findings were that parents were aware of the risks and had a strong commitment to children's safety, but also showed risk acceptance. To increase the safety of quad bike use, recommendations to organizations and authorities are presented, such as an age limit for drivers of all adult-size quad bikes and safety labeling of quad bikes, with information clarifying the rules for specific vehicles.

Highlights: Survey participants had high levels of concern about being injured or killed in a grain bin entry incident. Most survey participants were aware of grain bin entry hazards. Education and training efforts should focus on safe grain bin entry practices as well as rescue procedures.

Abstract: Agricultural injury data have shown that grain bin hazards cause many injuries and fatalities every year. To develop effective safety measures, it is necessary to understand farmers' perceptions of grain bin entry hazards. This survey study was developed and performed to determine farmers' perceptions of the hazards associated with grain bin entry. The survey was administered both online and at face-to-face agricultural safety events. A total of 162 participants completed surveys, with the majority in New York and Pennsylvania. Most participants were concerned about being injured (77%) or killed (66%) when entering a grain bin. Seventy percent of the participants indicated that they had entered a grain bin alone without an observer, and 60% indicated that they had no written emergency response plan. The participants perceived safety equipment (e.g., gas monitors, lifeline and harness systems, anchor points, respirators, and grain rescue tubes) as valuable, and they were mostly familiar with some of these devices. The participants reported a need for training and short educational videos related to safe grain bin entry. Recommendations for safe grain bin entry should focus on entering bins with an observer present and using lifeline and harness systems, gas monitors, and respirators.

Highlights: Cultural factors and acculturative stressors affect the health and safety behaviors of Hispanic/Latino farmworkers. Cultural factors and stressors also increase their risk of heat-related illnesses (HRIs). Interventions targeting HRIs in this population should account for cultural factors.

Abstract: Hispanic/Latino farmworkers have been widely recognized as a particularly vulnerable population in the U.S., with among the lowest levels of income and education in the country. Existing research has identified and explored factors, including cultural and demographic characteristics, that increase the vulnerability of these workers to adverse occupational health and safety outcomes. This review assesses Hispanic/Latino farmworkers' vulnerability to increasing temperatures and intense heat events, focusing on the role of demographic and cultural factors in heat-related health outcomes. A systematic literature search was conducted using the search terms "heat" and "(Hispanic or Latino) farmworkers" and "health" over the years 2000 to 2020. A total of 348 articles were screened through a title review. The articles included in this review focused on heat-related illnesses (HRIs) and related symptoms among the population of interest. Hispanic/Latino workers were at heightened risk of HRI symptoms as a result of their work environments, working conditions, acculturative stressors, and other cultural factors.

Highlights: Humans who supervise autonomous agricultural machines require some type of warning to perceive abnormal conditions in the machine or its environment. Visual and tactile warnings were the most suitable warning methods for in-field and close-to-field remote supervision. This study will help improve the performance of remote supervisors and minimize unexpected incidents or liabilities during operation of autonomous machines.

Abstract: As agricultural machinery moves toward full autonomy, human supervisors will need to monitor the autonomous machines during operation and minimize system failures or malfunctions. However, to intervene in an emergency, the supervisor must first recognize the emergency in a timely manner. Existing warning devices rely on the human visual, auditory, and tactile senses. However, these warning methods vary in their ability to attract attention. Hence, it is important to determine which warning method is best suited to draw the attention of a remote supervisor of an autonomous machine in an emergency. To achieve this objective, participants were recruited and asked to interact with a simulation of an autonomous sprayer. Seven warning methods (presented alone or in combinations of visual, auditory, and tactile sensory cues) and four remote supervision scenarios (in-field, close-to-field, farm office, outside the farmland) were considered in this study. The findings revealed that a combination of tactile and visual methods was most suitable for in-field and close-to-field remote supervision, in comparison to the other warning methods. However, there was insufficient evidence to recommend the best warning methods for supervisors at the farm office or outside the farmland. This study will help improve the performance of remote supervisors and minimize unexpected incidents during field operations with autonomous agricultural machines.

Highlights: Approximately ten cases were documented annually over the 44-year period; 48% were in the last decade and 28% were in the last three years, primarily due to more aggressive surveillance and on-line access to incident reports. A total of 389 incidents involving 459 individuals were documented, of which 59% were fatal; >85% of the victims were male, with an average age of 37. 49 rescue incidents involved a total of 119 secondary victims, indicating that approximately 26% of the victims were secondary victims, including first responders. 20% of all victims, when age was known, were children or youth under the age of 21.

Abstract: There is limited published research exploring the frequency and causes of livestock waste-related fatalities and injuries among farm operators and workers. While there has been ongoing surveillance of mortality and morbidity involving agricultural confined space-related incidents, such as grain storage facilities, few resources have been invested in estimating the frequency of livestock waste-related incidents, which are often reported as primarily involving confined spaces. Existing surveillance efforts have historically underreported fatal cases, injuries, and near misses and misclassified these incidents as non-farm related. For nearly 40 years, the Purdue Agricultural Confined Spaces Incident Database (PACSID) has been used to document agricultural confined space-related incidents, of which manure storage and handling activities have accounted for 22% of the cases documented. The specific goal of this study was to address the gap in the current understanding of the frequency and severity of injuries associated with livestock waste storage, handling, and transport by: (1) developing a consistent way to identify, document, and code these cases; (2) summarizing all known U.S. cases, both fatal and non-fatal, currently documented in the PACSID; (3) identifying the most significant risks contributing to livestock waste storage, handling, and transport-related incidents; and (4) providing evidence-based recommendations and mitigation strategies to enhance the effectiveness of current injury prevention measures. The PACSID and other sources were mined for relevant data, and an aggressive effort was made to document additional cases through a variety of surveillance methods. A total of 459 individual U.S. cases from the study period (1975 to 2019) were identified, coded using a uniform coding system, and summarized. Overall, cases were documented in 43 states, with 66% (302 cases) documented in heavily agricultural and, more specifically, historically strong dairy production states. Of the cases reviewed, 59% were fatal, males ages 21 to 30 and dairy farm workers were identified as high-risk populations, 20% were identified as under the age of 21, and 49 incidents involved multiple victims. Farm injury data limitations and underreporting were problematic, especially during