Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health最新文献

Highlights: Limited leisure time, insufficient sleep, and family members' health conditions were the top personal stressors. Occupational stressors were too much to do in so little time, worrying about the farm's future and financial issues. Governmental regulation, market prices, and unpredictable weather conditions were off-farm occupational stressors. The work hours during the busy season and farm size were significant predictors of farmers' stress. The farmer's age and years in the farm business were not significant predictors of the farmer's stress.

Abstract: This pilot study aims to investigate goat and sheep farmers' stress amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors developed a questionnaire based on existing literature to measure farmers' stress. The online questionnaire was sent to the 3000 goat and sheep farmers registered in the Penn State Extension Listserv. We used the technique described by Dillman et al. (2014) to collect online data. After cleaning the data, the response rate was 6.8% (n = 204). The mean and SD for farmer's stress were 3.0±.63 out of 5, occupational stress 3.11±.65, and personal stress 2.80 ± .82, respectively. During the COVID-19 pandemic, work hours during the busy season and farm size exhibited a positive low association with farmers' stress (r_s = .245 and r_s = .238, respectively). They predicted 10% of the total variation in farmers' stress. We propose that extension professionals and public health practitioners learn lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic in case other public health concerns arise. We suggest that future educational programs addressing stress among farmers prioritize specific strategies to reduce occupational stress and cope with uncertainty during health-related outbreaks or other crises. An interesting avenue for further investigation can involve examining other issues related to farmers' financial planning, time management (especially during the busy season), and their relationships with family members.

Highlights: Stress was measured in harvest operators who performed on-the-go unloading manually and with an automated system. Automated unloading reduced the average grain cart and combine operator stress rate by 18% and 12%, respectively, compared to manual operation. Harvest operators usually worked more than 9 hours and often worked more than 12hours per workday during harvest. The use of automated unloading systems could positively affect the health of harvest operators.

Abstract: On-the-go unloading improves harvest operational efficiency, but it requires skilled labor because it is challenging and stressful to balance numerous concurrent tasks. Harvest automation reduces workload, stress, and fatigue. The objective of this study was to determine if using a commercially available, automated on-the-go unloading system (Raven Cart Automation^TM, RCA, Raven Industries) would reduce operator stress compared to manual operation. Nine grain cart tractor operators and six combine operators participated in this study. Operators performed their typical harvest operation, except to alternate on-the-go unloading using RCA or operating manually. Skin conductance (electrodermal activity) was measured with an Empatica E4 wristband, and stressful events were quantified. Machine data was collected from the tractor and combine via CAN logs. Over 200 total unload events were analyzed. Grain cart and combine operators using RCA had an 18% (p = 0.022) and 12% (p = 0.18) reduction in stress rate, respectively, compared to operating the grain cart tractor manually. RCA reduced the tractor cross-track error standard deviation by 2.5 cm on straight passes (p < 0.0001). The use of an automated on-the-go unloading system reduces operator stress during harvest and could positively affect the health of operators, especially during the long harvest workdays.

Highlights: Off-road ATV incidents can be problematic due to long EMS alert times. An ATV crash-detection-and-report system is expected to reduce EMS response time. The developed system can accurately detect ATV rollovers. The alert time of our system is 10 times faster than the national U.S. average. Any rider using our system is 3 times more likely to survive an off-road crash.

Abstract: All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) incidents are a common cause of injury and death in the agricultural industry in the United States. Many ATV off-road crashes on farms and ranches may result in trauma requiring immediate care, but the injured rider is unable to seek help due to their injuries. Moreover, many of these crashes occur in isolated areas that may be difficult to access and have unreliable cellular phone service, making contact with emergency medical services (EMS) challenging. This study aimed at developing and testing a low-cost ATV crash detection device (AgroGuardian) that immediately alerts EMS and emergency contacts, even when the rider is unable to take action and/or there is no cellular phone service available. AgroGuardian includes an embedded data logging system, a smartphone application, and a remote database. The embedded system includes an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) for attitude estimation, a Global Positioning System (GPS) for location estimation, and a Rock7 modem for off-board communication. A smartphone application was developed for the users to input information about their vehicle (e.g., make and model) and emergency contacts. Also, it allows them to interact with their ATV data. An emergency signal along with the ATV's coordinates is transmitted through the Rock7 modem and received in the remote database when a rollover is detected by the system. This emergency signal is then processed and sent to EMS and emergency contacts. Our results indicated that the device: (1) is unlikely to miss an ATV rollover; (2) has a fast EMS notification time (40.7 s); and (3) the ATV localization system presented an average error of 2.34 m.

Highlights: 29 recent agricultural-related fatalities or injuries occurring throughout the state of Indiana were analyzed using geospatial incident analysis. Proximity of each incident to nearby cellular towers was found through 5 and 10-mile spatial joins by their relationship with cellular towers, with no towers most likely to be found within 5 miles of a given incident and only one tower to be found within 10 miles of a given incident. Proximity of each incident to emergency services and the nearest hospital was performed through 5 and 10-mile spatial joins, with only one service provider most likely to be within the five-mile range of a given incident.

Abstract: A total of 29 recent agricultural-related injuries and fatalities throughout the state of Indiana were identified and analyzed for their proximity to cellular towers and emergency medical services (EMS). The objective of this research was to identify relationships between selected agricultural incidents and the ability of the victim to successfully contact emergency services. The geographic information system (GIS) software ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online were utilized for trend identification and analysis. Findings from this analysis showed that only one EMS provider was most likely to be found within five miles of a given incident location. This frequency increased to seven EMS providers when the proximity range was increased to ten miles of a given incident location. The analysis also showed that only one cellular tower was most likely to be within a 10-mile radius of a given incident. There were frequently no accessible towers within five miles of a given incident. In addition, identified incidents were overlaid on a digital elevation map (DEM) of Indiana for analysis on the relationship between elevation and the number of accessible cell towers in the area. Studies have confirmed that victims of serious agricultural-related injuries, especially while working alone, face significant barriers in alerting EMS of their need for assistance. Geospatial analysis techniques performed in this study can be utilized by other states to assess access to EMS and for larger-scale, agricultural incident analysis. These tools have the potential to improve detail in agricultural incident reporting.

Highlights: The safety guidelines outlined in ISO 18497 are not sufficient to guarantee the safe operation of autonomous agricultural machines. Since the risk assessment techniques specified in ISO 12100:2012 require historical failure data of the machine at hand, they cannot be used to effectively mitigate the risk associated with autonomous agricultural machines where such data are not readily available. Analysis from the perspective of ergonomics can potentially increase the safety of autonomous agricultural machines.

Abstract: The goal of this study was to analyze the safety implications of an autonomous agricultural machine (TerraPreta) using the standards ISO 18497 (ISO, 2018) and ISO 12100:2012 (ISO, 2012), as well as to investigate the ergonomics associated with the use of the autonomous agricultural machine. First, three engineers involved in the robot's manufacturing process were asked to evaluate the robot's functionalities compliance with the applicable safety standards and protective measures outlined in standard ISO 18497 (ISO, 2018). Second, while the robot was planting cover crop seeds, an attempt was made to identify and evaluate every risk connected to the robot using the risk assessment techniques outlined in ISO 12100:2012 (ISO, 2012). (1) Half (50%) of the functionalities of the autonomous agricultural machine complied with the safety requirements and protective measures described within the standard ISO 18497 (ISO, 2018). (2) The heavy reliance on past incident data of the risk assessment procedure described within the standard ISO 12100:2012 (ISO, 2012) makes it ineffective for new and revolutionary technologies such as autonomous agricultural machines where such data are not available. (3) Lifting a bag to fill the robot hopper with seeds was found to be a moderately hazardous activity associated with human-robot interaction. Multiple tentative solutions were provided to avoid this moderately hazardous activity.

Highlights: Microbial assessment of dairy workers in Arizona, U.S. Provides demographic and working information of an underserved group. Highlights the need for health and safety assessments and solutions in the dairy industry.

Abstract: The dairy industry in Arizona, like many other agricultural industries in the United States, is dependent on the labor that migrant farm workers provide. Infections caused by zoonotic pathogens are commonly underreported or misdiagnosed, and possibly more so in migratory workers that face cultural, structural, legal, financial, and geographic barriers to health services. The objectives of this project were to: assess the demographics of Arizona dairy workers, determine the exposure potential of Arizona dairy workers to zoonotic organisms, and inform best management practices. A questionnaire including demographics, work tasks, and household characteristics was administered. Swab samples were collected from the shoulders, knees, and foreheads of employees at two dairy operations at the end of the work shift. The swabs were cultured for E.coli O157:H7 and Salmonella. Molecular DNA isolated from Salmonella and Cryptosporidium was quantified using droplet-digital Polymerase Chain Reaction (ddPCR). Twenty dairy workers were recruited, and 60 samples were collected. The majority of workers were male, preferred to speak Spanish, and identified as Latino/Hispanic (68.8%, 93.8%, and 93.8%, respectively). E. coli O157:H7 was detected in 13% of cultured knee and forehead samples. Salmonella spp. gene copies were detected on 60.0% of samples collected from forehead skin samples; 40.0% of shoulder clothing samples; and 15% of knee clothing samples, as measured via ddPCR. The positive cultural and molecular samples indicate the need for improved post-workday sanitation practices at farms. This study provides surveillance of a largely invisible population, including insights that can be used to create site-specific health and safety protocols for the dairy industry, inform risk assessment models, and foster preventive practices in the dairy industry.

Highlights: About 30% of farmers had moderate or worse hearing in at least one ear for frequencies between 2000 and 6000 Hertz. Improvements in perceptions were observed by increased HBM concept scores for barriers related to comfort and communication, self-efficacy, and hearing protection benefits. Older farmers had higher HBM concept scores for barriers related to communication and the benefits of hearing protection compared to younger farmers. The point source intervention contributed to the effect of education in improving farmers' HBM concept scores for comfort and self-efficacy.

Abstract: Objectives: Hearing protection devices (HPDs) can effectively prevent hearing loss. However, they are not widely used by farmers. This study assessed factors influencing farmers' perceptions about hearing protection and evaluated if a point source hearing protection intervention changed these perceptions over time.

Methods: Intervention farmers (n=53) received education and the point source intervention (storing HPDs near major noise sources). Control farmers (n=36) received education only. Annually, for nearly four years, farmers from both groups were asked to complete a questionnaire about their perceptions of hearing protection.

Results: During the multi-year study, both intervention and control farmers' perceptions about hearing protection improved. Perceptions about barriers related to comfort were better for intervention farms (p=0.007) and for farmers that participated in the study longer (p<0.001). Perceptions about self-efficacy were also better for intervention farms (p=0.001) and for farmers that participated in the study longer (p<0.001). Age was associated with better perceptions about the benefits of hearing protection (p=0.011). Perceptions about communication barriers improved for all farmers as the study advanced (p=0.002) and for farmers that were older (p=0.006).

Conclusion: Intervention and control groups improved their perceptions of hearing protection over time. The point source intervention contributed to the effect of education on farmers' perceptions of comfort and self-efficacy but not to perceptions related to communication barriers or the benefits of hearing protection.

Highlights: The frequency and severity of lone agricultural worker fatalities is unknown and was found to be higher than expected. Agricultural workers frequently take on complex or hazardous tasks perceived to be doable alone. Of the 368 lone agricultural worker cases documented and reviewed, 74% resulted in a fatality. The leading cause of lone worker incidents analyzed was tractor rollover.

Abstract: Research was conducted to explore the nature and magnitude of agricultural injuries and fatalities where the victim was determined to be working alone at the time of the incident. Underreporting of lone agricultural worker injuries and fatalities as an incident classification was identified as a gap in current data collection methods, and discussion of the problem was lacking in the literature. Current incident reporting strategies have fully negated data regarding whether the victim was alone at the time of injury. Approximately 1,000 individual agricultural injury and fatality incident reports from several states were analyzed over a five-year period from 2016 to 2021. A total of 368 incidents were documented in which the agricultural worker was clearly identified as working alone at the time of the injury. Incident causes, age range and sex of the victim, time of year, and hours before the victim was found were analyzed from available case data. Contributing factors identified in these incidents included: (1) the frequency of agricultural workers completing recognized hazardous tasks perceived to be doable alone; (2) distance from emergency medical or rescue services (EMS) in remote areas; (3) lack of communication between the worker and their supervisors, coworkers, or family members; (4) difficulties in physically accessing communication devices if entangled, entrapped, or otherwise impaired; and (5) non-existent or poor cellular coverage due to a lack of towers and a lack of signal in remote, or hilly or wooded areas. Victims working alone were often not found for hours or even days after the incident occurred, resulting in the 74% fatality rate of the sample being significantly higher than situations in which others were present at the time of injury.