Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health最新文献

HIGHLIGHTS Demonstrations and one-on-one training were the most preferred learning methods. The most-used learning methods were electronic methods. Printed materials were preferred and perceived as effective by Baby Boomers. ABSTRACT. The purpose of this study was to investigate differences among generational cohorts in the agricultural workforce in learning methods, including frequency of use, perceived effectiveness, and preference. A total of 211 participants representing the agricultural workforce completed either a paper-based or online questionnaire. Generational cohorts were determined using participants' birth years. The results show that regardless of the generational cohort, demonstrations and one-on-one training were the most preferred learning methods and were also perceived as the most effective methods. Participants indicated that they mostly use electronic methods to learn about agricultural safety and health. Generational differences were found for some learning methods. Printed materials were found to be preferred and perceived as effective by Baby Boomers more so than the other cohorts. Electronic methods were mostly used by Gen X and Millennial participants. For learning about agricultural safety, demonstrations are the most preferred and most effective methods but are not used as frequently as the other learning methods. Agricultural safety education should continue delivering safety demonstrations.

Imperial County, California, is a high-need, medically underserved area that has some of the worst overall health outcomes of all California counties. Given this and the high depression and anxiety rates in agricultural occupations, Imperial County farmers and ranchers may be at an increased risk of stress and poor mental health outcomes. An exploratory mixed methods assessment was used to collect information from 24 farmers and ranchers in Imperial County. Survey topics included questions about farm or ranch operations, farm-related stress, mental health, community support, and health behaviors. The results indicate that most respondents perceive unpredictable factors, such as government regulations, as the most impactful stressors related to their farm or ranch operations. Additionally, depression symptomatology scores were positively correlated with respondents' ability to obtain credit. Efforts to understand farm-related stress and how community support can help Imperial County farmers and ranchers mediate adverse physical and mental health effects through formal and informal networks are considered.

In 2006, Cole et al. (2006) reported on tractor overturn-related injuries in Kentucky from a random sample of farmers that numbered 6,063 respondents. The highest number of people who experienced tractor overturns were operators 16 to 20 years old. In 2007, at a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Tractor Safety Initiative meeting in Colorado, John Myers of NIOSH presented a map of the states with the highest overturn fatality rates: Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Illinois. Significantly, four of these states, including Kentucky, overlap the Appalachian region (Cole, 2007; Hard and Myers, 2001). In Kentucky, this region involves farming on slopes, as examined by Saman et al. (2012), who found a high-risk cluster of tractor overturns among ten Kentucky counties in the Appalachian region, with a 97% increased risk of overturn as compared to other Kentucky counties. In 1971, James Arndt of Deere & Company presented a 50-year review of rollover protective structures (ROPS) at a Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) conference. Arndt (1971) estimated that, over the previous 50 years, 30,000 operators had been killed when crushed by tractor overturns in agriculture and construction work. Since then, ROPS have been recognized as an effective device to prevent death in the event of a tractor overturn (Reynolds and Groves, 2000). Nevertheless, the epidemic of tractor-related deaths has continued into the modern era, and the cost of ROPS has been found to be a significant barrier to retrofitting tractors that lack ROPS (Myers et al., 1998). To provide a low-cost alternative, NIOSH safety engineers have designed, tested, and provided instructions for building and fitting cost-effective ROPS (CROPS) onto pre-ROPS tractors (i.e., tractors built before 1968) (Hard et al., 2016).

Forestry activities, such as tree cutting and harvesting of forest resources, have been documented as dangerous tasks with increased risk of injuries and fatalities. These hazards are well known in the professional logging community, but less attention is given to farmers who perform occasional tree trimming and cutting activities, especially for the older farmer population. This study examined Indiana farm work-related fatalities from 1988 to 2017 involving farmers 55 years and older who performed occasional wood cutting activities. Fatality cases were mined from the Purdue University Agricultural Safety and Health Program's fatality database. A total of 40 fatality cases were reported, representing 10.3% of all reported farm fatalities of farmers 55 years and older over the time period. The average age of the victims was 67.4, with 65% of cases involving victims 65 years or older. All victims were males. Wood cutting fatalities increased over the observation period. The most frequently reported fatal injury type was being crushed by tree or tree limbs, with 16 cases (40%), and the most common cause of fatality was due to cutting and trimming of trees, with 27 cases (67.5%). It was determined that the incidents were largely preventable and that future injury prevention strategies should address the risks associated with aging, the added risk of being struck by limbs or trees due to unsafe felling practices, the need for appropriate personal protective equipment, and the hazards involved in operating agricultural tractors in wooded areas.

Based on earlier studies, farmers have poorer work ability compared to workers in most other occupations. The aim of this study was to explore if organic production has a positive effect on producers' work ability while controlling for demographic and production characteristics. This study used telephone interview data collected by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health in 2014-2015. The material consisted of 2,164 farmers: 231 in organic production and 1,933 in conventional production. Work ability was measured with a single question regarding the farmers' current work ability compared with their lifetime best on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 meaning unable to work. The data were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression. Organic production had a negative effect on work ability, while larger farm size, experiencing economic uncertainty rarely/never/occasionally (vs. often), age under 55 years, having occupational health coverage, and experiencing low amounts of physical strain or mental strain had positive effects in a multivariable model. While this study could not consider potential biases from the farmers' existing health status at the time of switching to organic production and other sources, it is clear that greater attention needs to be paid to improving worker health, safety, and wellness in organic farming.