Last updated on July 27th, 2024 at 09:31 am
Women’s Health Resources
Women have significant exposure to agricultural work and therefore related health and safety risks from farm exposures. Leading occupational health hazards include acute injuries, pesticide exposures, agricultural dust exposures, zoonotic infections, negative behavioral health, and risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes and perinatal illness. Gender-based risks are related to key differences in size and stature that lead to increased physical strain and low maximal oxygen uptake.
According to the 2017 Agriculture Census, approximately 1.2 million women are agricultural producers, a number that has increased by over 26 percent since the previous Census. This increase has significant implications for needing targeted women’s agricultural health issues for health and safety trainings.”
AgriSafe’s work in women’s health is generously funded in part by Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health.
Women’s Health Resources
Resource Library
ID | Title | Summary | Link |
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12761 | AgriSafe Yoga | Yoga for strengthening and flexibility – examples given in farm settings. | |
14031 | Bonus Episode: Women for the Land from American Farmland Trust | episode of Talking Total Farmer Health | |
9856 | Head to Toe Protection: Grain (female) | A guide created specifically for women on PPE when working with grain. | |
9860 | Head to Toe Protection: Pesticides (female) | A guide created specifically for women on PPE when working with pesticides. | |
9852 | Head to Toe Protection: Swine (female) | A guide created specifically for women on PPE when working with swine. | |
9366 | Listos para trabajar | Poses to improve muscle strength and flexibility – examples given in farm settings. | |
12758 | Pilates AgriSafe | Pilates for strengthening and flexibility – examples given in farm settings. | |
8939 | Pilates Poster | Pilates for strengthening and flexibility – examples given in farm settings. | |
9364 | Ready to Farm Poster | Poses to improve muscle strength and flexibility – examples given in farm settings. | |
8417 | Reproductive Health Exposures for Women in Agriculture | A guide designed to help women protect their reproductive health when working in agriculture. | |
8421 | Riesgos de la salud reproductiva femenina en la agricultura | A Spanish language guide designed to help women protect their reproductive health when working in agriculture. | |
12752 | Sea responsable con su salud | This Spanish language fact sheet is designed to highlight the unique risk factors for women working in agriculture. Practical solutions are offered to assist farm women in maintaining a healthy and productive farming future. | |
8423 | Take Charge of Your Health – Women Working in Agriculture | This fact sheet is designed to highlight the unique risk factors for women working in agriculture. Practical solutions are offered to assist farm women in maintaining a healthy and productive farming future. | |
14094 | Women in Ag | episode of Talking Total Farmer Health | |
9885 | Women in Agriculture: Risks for Occupational Injury Within the Contexts of Role, and Haddon’s Injury Model | This paper examines exposure to occupational injury producing events among women within the context of role and Haddon’s Injury Model. | |
9362 | Yoga Poster | Yoga for strengthening and flexibility – examples given in farm settings. | |
10339 | Zoonotic Disease and Pregnancy: A Brief Overview | Ag work can be hazardous, particularly to women who are currently pregnant or want to be. Learn about some ways to keep yourself safe. |
Webinars
Webinar Title | Summary | Link |
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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. | |
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. | |
Cardiovascular Health in Farm Workers with a Concentration on Females | Request This Training | |
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. | |
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. | |
Hazard Communications Standards (December 7, 2021) | This Hazard Communication Standard training program is intended for female workers and managers in the agricultural industry. This includes dairy farms and small farms that hire at-risk populations. The major focus of the program is on the identification of and the safe usage of chemicals and pesticides, along with respiratory protection. | |
More Than Milk: Strong Bones and Injury Prevention for Aging Women in Ag | Do farmers or ranchers really retire? Generational family operations frequently include the aging parents, the living legends of agriculture. Farmers and ranchers self-identify good health with the ability to work. The normal aging process slows down one’s ability to engage in meaningful activities physically and mentally, essentially to continue working. Swirl in the postmenopausal issues incurred by the female farmer, and a myriad of health hazards arise. | |
Reducing the Risk of Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes and Perinatal Illness for Female Ag. Producers (December 16, 2020) | Pregnancy and fertility are often not considered when women assume farm tasks. Pesticide and other chemical exposures, zoonotic diseases and heavy lifting particularly during childbearing years, present challenges. | |
Safety in the Field: Addressing Workplace Sexual Harassment for Farm Workers | 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. | |
Strategies to Increase Access to Mental Health Services in Farm Worker Communities in Post-COVID Era | Last updated on December 4th, 2024 at 10:28 amFarm workers experience high rates of mental health and substance use problems due to numerous risk factors. Barriers for mental health services prevent most farm workers from accessing culturally appropriate care. COVID highlighted the increased need for mental health support and services in farm worker populations. Farm Workers experienced additional stress and did not receive any additional support. AgrAbility project, which focuses on providing support and advocacy for agricultural workers and farmers with disabilities, began exploring how to increase access to mental health care for farm workers. This webinar will highlight the impact of mental health on farm workers and explore lessons learned, community response, and resources … | |
Tools & Training to Aid in Selection of PPE in Agriculture (July 29, 2021) | Workers in the agricultural industry experience multiple hazardous respiratory exposures. It is important to understand these risks and to know the appropriate protective equipment to purchase and use. The female workforce often experiences a challenge finding the right protection with a proper fit. This 30-minute program will address both the risks and the right protective gear. | |
What to Expect While Expecting- For Female Producers & Farmworkers in Ag (February 16, 2022) | Pregnancy and fertility are often not considered when women assume farm tasks. Pesticide and other chemical exposures, zoonotic diseases and heavy lifting particularly during childbearing years, present challenges. | |
Zoonotic Disease and Pregnancy: A Deeper Dive | Zoonotic Diseases are transmitted between farm animals and humans and can pose additional risks to those who are pregnant. Farmers and farmworkers have higher levels of risk for contracting zoonotic diseases because of the frequency of their exposure to animals. Prevention is the best defense. Women working in agriculture should be aware of the following special considerations during pregnancy, which animals are common carriers of zoonotic disease, symptoms of the disease(s), prevention measures, and pregnancy risks. | |
¡Basta! Working Together to Prevent Sexual Harassment in the Agricultural Workplace | In this webinar, participants will be introduced to The ¡Basta! Prevent Sexual Harassment in Agriculture training, toolkit, and video. The ¡Basta! training uses an evidence-based, community engaged approach to help employees, HR staff, and growers prevent and address sexual harassment in the agricultural workplace. |
Websites
Page updated: August 2022