Archives

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Anhydrous Ammonia Safety for Farmworkers (February 24, 2022)

Anhydrous ammonia (NH3) is an effective nitrogen crop fertilizer used throughout the Midwest and beyond.  Anhydrous ammonia is potentially dangerous, as it seeks water from the nearest source, which may be the human body – especially the eyes, lungs, and skin because of their high moisture content.  Few problems occur when anhydrous ammonia is handled properly and applied as intended.  However, it is important for all individuals working with this type of fertilizer to understand the potential health risks, necessary safety precautions, and proper response in the event of an exposure. Focus of the training is on anhydrous ammonia safety during transport and application, including the anatomy of the nurse tank and toolbar, safety inspection processes, hitching and unhitching safety, personal protective equipment (PPE), rural roadway safety, and first aid/emergency procedures.  Hazard communication and emergency action plans will also be addressed.

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AgriSafe Think Tank: Racism and Agricultural Health

This Think Tank Webinar will address racism as a public health crisis and its impact on the agricultural workforce. Your help is needed to identify, disrupt and dismantle racism to protect the well being of agricultural producers of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) ethnicities. AgriSafe is committed to fostering dialogue across the nation that results in a racially equitable response to this crisis. Join us for this Think Tank where together we will define the problem and discover solutions to reduce health disparities that are amplified by racism.

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Agriculture and Alcohol Use

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration report that approximately 20.1 million people aged 12 or older had a substance use disorder related to their use of alcohol or illicit drugs. However, little is known about the prevalence of substance use in the ranching and farming community due to stigma and the lack of research in this population. This webinar will focus on the prevalence of substance use in rural areas through the results of health screening efforts in agricultural work settings.

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Agricultural All-Terrain Vehicle Safety

All-terrain vehicle (ATV) crashes are one of the leading causes of death and injuries in the agriculture industry in the United States. In this presentation, we will evaluate the current situation and possible solutions related to agricultural ATV safety. Potential injury preventative actions were evaluated based on the hierarchy of control, including elimination or substitution, engineering control, administrative authority, training, and personal protective equipment. 

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Aging and Parkinson’s Disease in Agriculture

Parkinson’s disease impacts over one million people living in the United States. People living in rural areas may not have access to specialists and getting diagnosis may be difficult. Rural health care providers and agricultural professionals need to develop an awareness of this neurodegenerative disorder and understand the effects on agricultural work. Participants will learn about rural specific resources, safety screening for aspects of agricultural work, tips to maximize farmer functioning, and communication strategies with farm families.

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Ag Worker Health and Avian Influenza

Avian Influenza is a disease caused by viruses that can infect birds and people. Avian influenza viruses are routinely present in wild bird species and can be transmitted to backyard and commercial poultry, but very rarely to people. This presentation will focus on understanding the current state of the avian influenza outbreak in the US and provide recommendations for personal protective equipment for people who work with poultry and poultry products.

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Addressing Military Needs in Agriculture

Veterans have a long history of service to our country through military service and through agriculture. The 2017 USDA report added a new special category of producers: “Producers with Military Service”. This report identified that 370,019 men and women agriculture producers claimed the title of US veteran, with 294,974 of them having spent more than 10 years on their farm. Recently much attention has highlighted veterans’ participation in farming. With this new attention, it is important to understand the unique characteristics and needs of those veterans. Registered nurses will be able address the needs of veteran farmers with a clearer understanding of the veteran experience compounded by the stress of farming and link veteran farmers to importance resources that support and build provider-client relationships and client resilience.

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Confined Space – Grain Bin Entry

The Confined Space Grain Safety program is intended for workers and managers in agriculture. This includes Coop’s, farm operators, employees, and agriculture business owners. The major focus of the program is on safety in confined space work areas.

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Best PPE to Protect Your Lungs (September 23, 2021)

Respiratory protection strategies for women working in agriculture can be a challenge. Purchasing respiratory protective equipment and achieving proper fit is often difficult. This one-hour webinar program will address dangerous exposures in agricultural work and the importance of respiratory protective equipment for women. It will include training tips and evidence-based resources for use in clinical practice and worker education.

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ATV-UTV Safety for Women

Agriculture ranks among the most hazardous industries. Farmers are at very high risk for fatal and nonfatal injuries, and farming is one of few industries in which family members (who often share the work and live on the premises) are also at risk for fatal and nonfatal injuries. ATVs and UTVs are found on all types of farms; they are useful for agricultural work, but they also pose serious hazards to operators and passengers. Studies indicate that injured ATV/UTV passengers are more commonly female and youth and that helmet use is significantly lower for passengers. The focus of the training would be on ATV/UTV maintenance and safety features, personal protective equipment (PPE), load and weight considerations, operation on public roadways, as well as employee training and considerations for working alone.

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Assessment of Opioid Misuse Risk Among Farmers in the Clinical Setting

Prescription opioids are often the first-line therapy to treat chronic and acute pain among farmers. Prescribing opioids to farmer populations that may not seek regular treatment or have access to alternative therapies increases the risk for potential opioid misuse. Properly assessing for these characteristics among other abuse or addiction risk factors, is critical in providing treatment that is both appropriate and effective. The training module will seek to provide insight on misuse risk factors among farmers to better inform healthcare providers on warning signs in this specific cohort.

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Appropriate PPE for Women in Agriculture

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is critical for ensuring a safe working environment in agriculture. It is essential to utilize PPE that meets safety standards, is appropriate for your work, and is the proper fit. PPE is often designed with men in mind, making adequate fit and function problematic for women in agriculture. This training will address the different hazards in agricultural work and the appropriate PPE for women. Additionally, this training will review how to conduct both a respirator fit test and a fit check (seal check) procedure. This presentation aims to guide the selection and effectiveness of PPE worn by women in the agricultural field.

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Eliminating Workplace Violence in the Field for Employers (December 2, 2021)

Thirty-six percent of the 3.4 million producers counted in the census are women. Education will focus on all women including farmworker women and their employers on reporting violent incidents to authorities, making employees aware of their legal rights, safe work practices, medical referrals, treatment, and options including counseling if needed.

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Discovering the Root of your Back Story: Prevention and Understanding of Back Injuries (December 10, 2020)

Back injuries are one of the most common forms of farm-related injuries, so protecting the back is one of the most important things a producer can do to stay active on the farm. Men and women are both prone to work-related back pain and the first episode usually occurs between the ages of 20 and 40. Training will focus on effects of whole body vibration, causes of back injuries/pain, how to prevent back injuries/pain, and other considerations.

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Developing and Implementing a Pilot Agricultural Community Suicide Prevention Program for Farmers and Farm Families

This presentation describes a pilot community-based suicide prevention program. Eighteen trainers from various farmer-connected groups such as commodity groups, equipment dealers, farm safety trainers, teachers, ministers, and rural health nurses obtained credentials as QPR (Question-Persuade-Refer) trainers. Over 450 persons were trained from these constituent groups in an 8-month period of time using training materials customized for the farming community. Using a Community of Practice framework challenges and successes in establishing mutual engagement, joint enterprise, a shared repertoire, and meaning in practice. Program revisions and the next steps forward are discussed.

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Crashes Involving Agricultural Vehicles in the Southwest Region

Motor vehicle crashes are among the top reasons that workers are injured in agriculture. From an occupational safety and health perspective, rural roadways present unique challenges to stakeholders engaged in crash and injury prevention.  This session provides an overview of the key issues relevant to rural roadway safety within the context of agricultural vehicles and logging trucks and proven methods for reducing rural roadway crashes and their severity. In addition, the magnitude of the crash problem and trends will be presented for the Southwest Region (i.e., AR, LA, NM, OK, and TX) using data from the Southwest Agricultural Crash Surveillance System (SW AgCRASH).

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Farm and Ranch Health Threats After a Flood

Disaster recovery can be as dangerous as the disaster itself, especially if no disaster preparedness plan was implemented. This is especially true on farms and ranches where inherent farm hazards such as machinery and equipment, livestock, and agriculture chemicals are displaced and co-mingle, putting all emergency response personnel, farm workers and family members in danger. Floods can heighten the risk of health threats such as mold, tetanus bacteria, contaminated well water, heat illness and high stress. This presentation will highlight basic precautions to prevent possible diseases and injuries during and after flooding.

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Exploring the Invest in Your Health Trainer Exchange

AgriSafe is committed to train safety and health professionals who wish to teach IYH trainings in their classroom. Under our open share platform, once certified, you are free to use the training materials.  Our end goal is to build the capacity of rural educators and leaders to train young workers.  Invest in Your Health (IYH) consists of 6 training modules crafted for the agriculture teacher and community leader to seamlessly integrate in their course offerings.  IYH training modules aim to educate, prevent and protect young farmers by providing them with the tools they need to stay safe and healthy.

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Expert Panel Discussion on Mediation and How It Can Help the Agricultural Community (April 28, 2021)

Mediation is an option for resolving disputes designed to decrease stress and empower participants. A trained and impartial mediator helps people discuss their dispute by encouraging them to focus on identifying solution options with the goal of them reaching a mutually accepted agreement. Free to low-cost agricultural mediation is available in most states through the USDA Agricultural Mediation Program. Join in on this expert panel discussion on the mediation process and how it can help the agricultural community.

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Ergonomic Safety for Farm Women (December 1, 2020)

It is no secret – women are playing an increased role in production agriculture. They account for about one-third of the management, ownership and work on farms, ranches and in crop production. A major challenge continues to be access to protective equipment that meets the ergonomic needs of women. This program is intended to help women in rural/agricultural communities identify ergonomic issues leading to musculoskeletal injuries in farm and ranch work and discover resources to aid in injury prevention.

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Emergency Planning for Farm Operations

Safety planning is one of the most difficult to justify because you never know the amount of time, money, or lives you are saving for accidents that don’t happen. With more children likely to be on the farm than ever before in history again this Fall, it is even more critical we take action for Emergency Response Planning. Shay Foulk, a Safety Consultant with Ag View Solutions, will speak on how to navigate the difficult conversations, implementation, and sustainability of Emergency Response Planning. No different than any other business, Shay works with farming operations to assess risks, identify solutions, and implement them in a manner that is practical and easy for farms. 

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Farm Youth Mental Health: What We Know and How to Help

Caring for both the physical and emotional health of our next generation is crucial. From adapting to changes to feeling overwhelmed, like adults, children also experience stress and anxiety; however, they may be unsure of what they are feeling and how to respond. During this webinar, we will take a closer look at the status of farm youth mental health. We will recognize causes of stress among youth living in farming and rural communities and highlight the resources available to assist families.

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Farm Theater: A Unique Approach to Health and Safety

Farm Dinner Theater is an award winning intervention that is changing the actions of farm families for their health and safety. Based on a four year NIOSH research project, Dr. Reed will walk the audience through the development, history, evaluation and evolution of the Farm Dinner Theater. Since the research project ended communities have used the free toolkit to guide them in hosting their own theaters.

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Invest in Your Health: Cover Up! Head to Toe Personal Protective Equipment

This Train the Trainer course is designed for teachers, Extension staff, 4H and FFA leaders and others who work with young adults. Agriculture is ranked as one of the most dangerous occupations and involves workers and family members of all ages. Illness and injuries can be prevented if we use the right protective equipment for the job. This program will present an overview of common exposures in farming and ranching and identify appropriate personal protective equipment.

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Invest In Your Health – Train the Trainer Course

AgriSafe offers Invest in Your Health Trainer Exchange where educators can be certified to train on six AgriSafe modules (targeted for ages 14-23). AgriSafe provides the course instruction and training materials. Under our open share platform, once certified, educators would be free to use the training materials in their classroom setting. Our end goal is to build the capacity of local agricultural educators, rural health professionals and rural leaders to train young workers.