by Patterson, Jennifer J | Mar 19, 2019
The Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health (GPCAH) is now accepting applications for new agricultural health and safety research, prevention, intervention, community outreach, and translation projects that will have lasting impacts on the safety and health of farmers and agricultural workers.
“This year we are especially interested in topics related to mental health, sleep deprivation, safe transport and handling of commodities like grain and hay, and slips, trips, and falls prevention,” said Fred Gerr, GPCAH Deputy Director. “In addition to academic investigators, we strongly encourage applications from community organizations and non-academic health and safety professionals who emphasize practical approaches to preventing agricultural injury and illness.”
The pilot grant program anticipates funding up to four projects of 12 to 18 months duration. Applications are open to individuals or groups from Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Others may apply provided the topic is relevant to upper Midwest communities.
Applications will be accepted until July 1, 2019, and will be reviewed for responsiveness and potential for agricultural safety and health impact. Awards will be available October 1, 2019.
Questions? Email Jenna-gibbs@uiowa.edu or call (319) 335-4405.
Current GPCAH Pilot Grant awardee Amanda Holmstrom, PhD, and her team at Michigan State University are using their GPCAH funding to study a text messaging-based mental health intervention on smartphones that may help farmers overcome multiple barriers to accessing information about stress and coping strategies.
For more information visit http://bit.ly/2xGoAcu.
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 19, 2019
CONTACT: Jenn Patterson, MLitt, GPCAH Communications Coordinator
Jennifer-j-patterson@uiowa.edu, 319-335-4026
by cph-manager | Mar 1, 2018
Press release: “No One Can Take Your Place” is theme of Ag Safety Awareness Program Week (March 4-10)
Date: March 2, 2018
Across the country, county and state Farm Bureaus are making safety a priority through the Agricultural Safety Awareness Program. Next week (March 4-10) has been designated as Agricultural Safety Awareness Week. U.S. Agricultural Safety and Health Centers will join Farm Bureau in promoting the week with its theme “No One Can Take Your Place.”
A different safety focus will be highlighted by the Farm Bureau and U.S. Ag Centers each day of the week:
Monday, March 5 – Hearing Protection
Tuesday, March 6 – Respiratory Protection
Wednesday, March 7 – Impaired Driving
Thursday, March 8 – Fire Safety
Friday, March 9 – General Health
During this week and throughout the year, both the Farm Bureau and U.S. Ag Centers partner to encourage farmers to make safety a priority on the farm.
“We are pleased to partner with Farm Bureau during Agricultural Safety Awareness Week,” said Brandi Janssen, Outreach Co-Director of the Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health at the University of Iowa. “Agricultural safety continues to be a sound investment for farmer and ranchers. Focusing on safety and health on the farm helps save lives and protect our most important resources in agriculture, our farmers and farmworkers.”
The Agricultural Safety Awareness Program is a part of the Farm Bureau Health and Safety Network of professionals who share an interest in identifying and decreasing safety and health risks. For more information and resources, visit the ASAP Facebook page or the Great Plains Center Website. Throughout the week, several free webinars on agricultural safety topics will also be announced via social media.
Visit the Centers’ YouTube channel for new content and fresh ideas about how to stay safe while working in agriculture, forestry, and fishing. Join the movement to keep farms safe and share your own safety messages on social media using the hashtags #KeepFarmsSafe, #ASAP18 and #USAgCenters.
The 11 U.S. Agricultural Safety and Health Centers (www.cdc.gov/niosh/oep/agctrhom.html) are funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
by cph-manager | Dec 14, 2017
Press release: Three quarters of farm equipment related crashes involving alcohol result in injury or death.
Date: December 14, 2017
Link to article: Prevalence of alcohol impairment and odds of a driver injury or fatality in on-road farm equipment crashes.
Rural roads can be hazardous for drivers due to poor roadway conditions, high travel speeds, and frequent encounters with farm equipment and other slow moving vehicles. A recent five-year study published in the December edition of Traffic Injury Prevention identified more than 60 alcohol-related crashes involving farm equipment in four Midwestern states. “We found that the passenger vehicle drivers were more often impaired than the farmers operating their equipment. This is important because these impaired drivers may be slower to recognize and react to farm equipment, and more likely to misjudge the differences in speed of the equipment on the roadway,” said Karisa Harland, the lead investigator.
The team of researchers from the University of Iowa and University of Minnesota found that the percentage of alcohol-impaired crashes involving farm equipment varied by state. North Dakota and South Dakota, respectively, had the highest proportions of alcohol-impaired driver crashes when compared to the other states. Most crashes resulted from the impaired passenger vehicle driver rear-ending or running head-on into the farm equipment.
Not surprisingly, a greater percentage of the alcohol-impaired crashes occurred at night and on weekends. “We know that during critical times of the year, farmers have to work around the clock. Overall, the proportion of alcohol impairment in crashes involving farm equipment is low—less than three percent,” said Harland. “However, when these crashes occur they can be devastating, because most of them result in an injury or death. There is a continued need for educating all road users about alcohol use while driving and the appropriate ways to interact with farm equipment on roads.”
The percentage of alcohol-impaired driver crashes were different for each state. North Dakota and South Dakota had the highest percentages of these types of crashes.
Article DOI: 10.1080/15389588.2017.1407924
by cph-manager | Nov 29, 2017
Press release: Study finds that routine care of low cost hydrogen sulfide monitors is needed to save lives.
Date: November 21, 2017
Link to article: Evaluation of low cost hydrogen sulfide monitors for use in agricultural production.
Last fall, livestock producers in Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin were alerted to the dangers of hydrogen sulfide gas following a series of cattle fatality incidents during manure handling activities. Hydrogen sulfide is an important manure pit gas, and it is released during agitation and manure pumping. Many livestock workers are familiar with the gas’s “rotten egg” odor.
Some producers are starting to wear low cost direct readying gas monitors to provide warning alarms when hydrogen sulfide gases are released and become dangerous to life and health. Hydrogen sulfide monitors are available from many manufacturers and are recommended for use during manure handling operations. Leaving the area when a gas monitor alarms can save lives.
The number of days until a first failure of personal hydrogen sulfide monitors stored in livestock buildings.
Researchers at the University of Iowa compared the performance of four easy to use, low-cost hydrogen sulfide monitors in an article published in the Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health. Although each gas monitor had different features, all of the monitors had a low and high alarm to alert the user of dangerous hydrogen sulfide levels. In addition, all monitors were advertised as good for at least two-years in the field. The researchers tested each monitor’s performance over time, simulating what they might be exposed to over one year of use in a livestock environment.
Performance of monitors declined over time. All of these monitors showed signs of reduced performance as the study progressed. “When we exposed these monitors hydrogen sulfide at levels that would be seen on the farm, the time it took for the monitor to signal an alarm increased,” said Dr. Renée Anthony. “This would be a problem if someone wearing the monitor was not warned of hazardous concentrations quickly.”
Not all manufacturers recommend performing bump tests on gas monitors. However, the results of this study recommend that you should. The “bump test” simply requires delivering a known concentration of gas to the monitor and then checking: Does the alarm go off? Does it alarm quickly (<15 seconds)? If the monitor displays a gas level– does it match the one on your gas bottle? “Bump testing is important for workers who plan to perform high-risk activities like agitating or pumping manure and pressure washing”, said Anthony. “If your monitor doesn’t display the gas level, it is the only way to know if the sensor still able to detect hydrogen sulfide.”
- Information for how to perform a bump test is available HERE. Producers should plan ahead and test their monitors before using them in potentially hazardous situations.
- For questions on gas monitors or how to perform bump tests, please contact the Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health at CPH-GreatPlainsCenter@uiowa.edu.
by cph-manager | Mar 31, 2017
In March, 2017, we provided posters and information to Ag Educators throughout the Great Plains region to assist with educating agriculture students about health and safety risks and prevention. This page provides additional details for each poster, including recent publications that provide additional information on each poster and ideas on how to incorporate these posters into existing curriculum.
If you click on the poster images below, you will open up the full-scale poster pdf, suitable for printing on 11×17 inch paper.
CONTACT US with Questions or Additional Topics of Interest
FEEDBACK SURVEY: Let us know if these are helpful and recommend additional topics to add.
How Farmers Get Hurt
As you know, there are many ways to get hurt on the farm. While you probably have stories about friends and family who have been injured, we have been looking across the Great Plains region to identify the big picture of farmer injuries.
Data from emergency room records and farmer fatality cases have been used to understand risk factors: How do farmers get hurt?
This poster illustrates key injuries to farmers, using recent fatality data.
A Review of How Midwestern Farmers Get Hurt on the Job
How to Use in Class
- To remind students of injury risks Incorporate into discussions focused on driving safety, material handling, machinery and livestock production
Additional Resources
Tractor-Related Injuries
More Midwest farmers are injured on tractors than by any other hazard on the farm. Tractor rollovers cause 33% of all farmer fatalities, highlighting the importance of using rollover protection. However, we recommend understanding that many other types of non-fatal injuries occur when working on and around tractors.
Data from emergency room records were used to identify leading sources and events associated with how farmers are hurt on tractors. This poster provides information on how Midwest farmers and their families have been hurt when working on and near tractors.
Tractor-Related Injuries
How to Use in Class
- Review when discussing tractor operation and safety
- Incorporate into machine maintenance discussions
Additional Resources
Tractor Safety: How to Prevent Injuries
To protect farmers, discussions on how to prevent injuries on tractors is needed. The top five types of injuries identified as significant when evaluating databases of fatal and non-fatal injuries are identified. Specific recommendations to prevent falls, collisions, and entanglement in machines are identified. Specific recommendations to both prevent rollovers and to reduce the injuries if a rollover occurs are included.
Injury Prevention Tips for Safe Tractor Operation
How to Use in Class
- Review when discussing tractor operation and safety
- Incorporate into machine maintenance discussions
Additional Resources
Traffic Safety
Crashes between farm and public vehicles on roadways pose a serious danger to farmers. This poster is intended to serve as reminders for those driving tractors on roadways but is also useful to have a conversation with other drivers during planting and harvesting seasons.
Roadway Safety Tips
How to Use in Class
- Review when discussing tractor operation and safety
- Review prior to planning and harvesting seasons
Additional Resources
Whole Body Vibration
Farmers report musculoskeletal pain, even more so than other industries. Farmers report pain in the back, shoulder, arm, hand, and legs throughout their working years. A significant risk factor to back pain is exposure to whole body vibration (WBV). This poster identifies what WBV is, known health effects, and prevention recommendations. Exposures to WBV can exceed 8-hour recommended limits in as short as 2 hours, depending on the type and age of vehicle being driven. Vibration is lower when pulling a combine, which is heavy and reduces vibration. Farmers operating small vehicles (skid steer loaders) and older vehicles have increased risk of developing back pain. We have also identified that while new tractors have improved vibration control seats, running these at faster speeds may result in the same vibration exposures as running older tractors at slower speeds. How you operate your equipment affects your risk of exposure to WBV and your risk of developing back pain.
What Whole Body Vibration Is and How It Affects Your Health
How to Use in Class
- Discuss how maintaining equipment helps not only good farming but can lead to improved health
- In driving instruction classes, talk about the trade-off of speed and whole body vibration
Additional Resources
Gas Hazards in Agriculture
Hazardous gases are generated as a byproduct of many farming operations. This poster identifies the gas hazards common throughout the region and identifies how these gases are formed. Manure gases have killed livestock producers. Carbon monoxide has killed farmers in grain bins. This poster identifies the hazard and health effects to farmers. This helps interpret ASABE standards on grain bin safety and manure management.
Health Effects and Sources of Important Gas Hazards in Agriculture
How to Use in Class
- In livestock and grain handling courses, discuss these risks as part of the safety discussion.
- Incorporate into any confined space hazard discussions.
- When discussing gas monitoring recommendations by ASABE, use this poster to reinforce what hazards are and were hazards are formed.
Additional Resources
Skin Cancer and You
Farmers work outdoors and, by default, are at risk of developing skin cancer from ultraviolet light. Understanding the risk the risk is important to motivate farmers to take simple precautionary actions.
Skin Cancer Recognition and Prevention
How to Use in Class
- Incorporate into discussions on risk management, health care, personal protective equipment.
- Show how to recognize what type of skin changes warrant going to the doctor.
Additional Resources
Hearing Damage: What Do You Have to Lose?
Farm workers suffer from impaired communication, reduced self-esteem, and disrupted intimacy, a result of noise-induced hearing loss. Most also experience tinnitus, a constant ringing or buzzing in the ears. Farm workers are exposed to excessive noise from: tractors, dryers, silage blowers, mowers, livestock, and chain saws, to name a few. Exact numbers are hard to pin down, but studies in 2000 estimate that 72% of farmers have hearing loss. Since hearing loss gradually develops over a working lifetime, early prevention will have great payoffs later in life. This poster explains how future hearing loss may affect common activities. The right side uses disappearing words to visually illustrate how changing of hearing loss affects the ability to communicate as the disease progresses.
Effects of Hearing Loss: What Do You Have to Lose?
How to Use in Class
- When discussing personal protection, risk prevention and management
- Incorporate early in programs when demonstrating loud equipment
- Discuss before internships begin
Additional Resources
Hearing Damage: How Loud is Too Loud?
Once the risk of hearing loss is understood, people need to understand when to protect their hearing. When exposed to noise louder than 90 dB, hearing protection is needed. This poster identifies typical sound levels of a variety of equipment and indicates the “Safe Time” that you can be in that noise for a given day. Note that this presumes no noise exposures the rest of the workday. Since this is not likely to happen, protection can help reduce personal exposures to noise. This includes easily available hearing muffs and earplugs.
Interpreting Sound Levels and How Long You Are Safe Without Hearing Protection
How to Use in Class
- When discussing personal protection, risk prevention and management
- Incorporate early in programs when demonstrating loud equipment
- Discuss before internships begin
Additional Resources