Great Lakes Center for Agricultual Safety & Health

Center Projects

Research Core | Prevention/Intervention Core | Education and Outreach Core | Feasibility | Completed Projects

Research Core

Farm-Related Asthma

Principal Investigator: Kenneth D. Rosenman, Professor, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, E-mail: Rosenman@msu.edu

This project is identifying and interviewing all farmers and family members treated for asthma over a 4-year period between the ages of 18 to 65 who obtain their health insurance through Blue Cross Blue Shield. We estimate there are approximately 1200 adults with asthma among the members during this 4-year period. All eligible subjects are being interviewed with a standardized questionnaire. Individuals who do not have documented pulmonary function testing showing hyperreactive airways are being offered such testing. Using questionnaire data, we are classifying subjects as having or not having work-related asthma and their type of work-related asthma. We are using the current National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Sentinel Event Notification System for Occupational Risks (SENSOR) criteria for work-related asthma to perform this classification. All subjects who meet the NIOSH SENSOR criteria for work-related asthma are being offered electronic peak flow and Forced Expiratory Volume in one second testing over a two-week period, to determine if there are changes on pulmonary function testing in relation to their farm work. Prevalence rates with 90 percent confidence limits are being calculated for farm-related asthma. Additionally, we are comparing prevalence rates using individuals who meet the NIOSH SENSOR criteria, without objective documentation of asthma and pulmonary function changes associated with farm work, versus those individuals who meet the criteria because they have objective documentation of asthma and pulmonary function changes associated with farm work. The staff performing this project is experienced in the diagnosis, management and epidemiology of asthma and work-related asthma. Dr. Kenneth Rosenman is directing the project and has 14 years of experience with the Michigan SENSOR asthma surveillance system.

Field Test of the Farm Grain Engulfment Hazard Assessment Tool

Principal Investigator:Douglas Michael Kingman, Assistant Professor, Illinois State University, E-mail: dougkingman@ilstu.edu

In a previous study by the Principal Investigator, a systems approach was used to complete a hazard analysis of on-farm metal grain storage bins in order to develop and test a farm grain hazard assessment tool that could predict the increased likelihood of an engulfment. The preliminary study was limited by the fact that most of the farms evaluated were located in Indiana and no commercial grain storage operations were assessed with the tool. This study broadens the application of the tool by applying it to commercial operations and farms in Illinois the research will accomplish the following objectives:

Field test the Farm Grain Engulfment Hazard Assessment Tool with at least 100 Illinois farm owners/operators and compare responses to previous findings reported by the PI in the preliminary study.

Field-test the Farm Grain Engulfment Hazard Assessment Tool with at least 25 Illinois commercial grain-handling sites and compare the responses to previous findings reported by the PI in the preliminary study.

Develop an interactive website that records user's responses to the assessment tool and provides the user will real-time risk assessment, identifies specific risky behaviors, and recommends preventative measures to reduce the risk of engulfment

Develop recommended strategies for introduction and adoption of the Farm Grain Engulfment Hazard Assessment Tool as a means of identifying and correcting grain bin and handling equipment designs, engulfment warning labels on grain storage structures, work conditions and human behaviors that contribute to an increased likelihood of engulfment and suffocation.

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Prevention/Intervention Core

Adapting the ASHBMP for the Insurance Industry

Principal Investigator: Dennis J. Murphy, Distinguished Professor, Penn State University, E-mail: djm13@psu.edu.

The specific aims of this Prevention/Intervention project are threefold. The first aim is to take an experimentally evaluated farm hazard audit tool and further develop it so that it is more useful to insurers of agricultural work sites, work activity, and farm residences. The second aim is to evaluate specific loss control efforts by farmers when the specific effort is requested by their insurer and facilitated by the ASHBMP document. The third aim is to provide a mechanism by which an insurance company can reliably correlate a farm hazard score to actual hazard reductions and claims costs. Hazard audits are a fundamental tool for identifying and correcting hazards of any type. Best Management Practices (BMPs) normally incorporate flexible and practical guidelines for addressing a specific topic or area of concern. The format of a Penn State developed hazard audit tool, formally known as Agricultural Safety and Health Best Management Practices (ASHBMP) used hazard gradation scales and other features to objectively and efficiently describe the condition of a particular hazard, thus the ASHBMP hazard audit tool conveys important intervention information to users by its very use. The use of gradation scales in the ASHBMP provides a mechanism for an objective means of evaluating hazards and risks. The objectives of this project are to:

Develop additional hazard gradation scales for hazards and risks identified by the cooperating insurance company.

Develop a flexible format for creating customized hazard audits utilizing the www and personal digital assistance (PDA) technology.

Develop a tracking system regarding use of the ASHBMP by the cooperating insurance company and their clients.

Begin regular use of the ASHBMP by the cooperating insurance company

Document the impact on hazard levels and insurance claims from use of the ASHPMB based on the experimental design implemented through Objective 4.

Audiovisual Approach to Train WV Farmers on Prevention Effectiveness of ROPS in Reducing Traumatic Injury

Principal Investigator: Jim Helmkamp, PhD., Research Associate Professor, West Virgina University, E-mail: jhelmkamp@hsc.wvu.edu

The overall goal of the project is to use a locally developed video to inform West Virginia farmers about the risks associated with tractor rollovers and the effectiveness of rollover protective structures (ROPS) in reducing traumatic injuries and determine whether the video influences change in tractor safety. Specific aims include:

Creation of a tractor safety video based on feedback gathered from farmer focus groups

Distribution of the video to West Virginia farmers

Evaluation to determine if the video changes farmer's knowledge and actions concerning rollover risks, causal factors, and ROPS as a means of injury prevention.

Twenty-nine of 37 tractor-related deaths identified in West Virginia from 1997 to 2002 were caused by overturns and rollovers with none of the tractors equipped with ROPS. As a result, a safety intervention plan was developed to inform WV farmers about the risks associated with tractor rollovers and the effectiveness of ROPS in reducing injuries. The plan has three phases:

Conduct a ROPS Use Prevalence Survey

Use survey results and farmer focus groups to create a tractor safety video

Conduct a survey to determine if the video has influenced farmer's safety attitudes and behaviors. This NIOSH-funded grant supports the last two phases of the plan.

Education and Outreach Core

Evaluating for Impact GLCASH Fellows Program

Principal Investigator: Karen Bruns, Assistant Professor, The Ohio State University, E-mail: Bruns.1@osu.edu

The objective of the Great Lakes Center for Agricultural Safety and Health Fellows program is to increase the level of evaluation for impact conducted related to agricultural/rural safety and health outreach and educational programs. Evaluation for impact is the documentation of the effect outreach and educational programs have on participants. This impact includes sustained and substantial change in agricultural health and safety behaviors and practices. These changes are documented through quantitative and qualitative research methods.

To achieve this objective the project is developing a cadre of safety and health education practitioners (fellows) who will have the skills to conduct and analyze quantitative and qualitative research. These practioners will use these skills to assess the impact of the outreach and education programs developed within their organizations and in selecting health and safety outreach and education programs to implement.

Feasibility

Evaluating Elicited Anxiety in a Simulated Environment

Principal Investigator: Don Strudney, Director-Interface Lab, The Ohio State University, Ohio Supercomputer Center, Email: don@osc.edu

Unintentional occupational injuries remain problematic. This applied research aims to harness emerging technologies to simulate a common occupational setting that provides the potential for experiencing acute traumatic injuries. The investigators will adapt current technologies to simulate an environment with a power take off (PTO), an indispensable tool found on farms and other work environments that transfers power from a common tractor to be redirected to drive various implements. The PTO has continuously proven to be problematic in providing acute unintentional injuries through entrapment or entanglement

This preliminary research will extend our current work to this specific scenario, the PTO environment, which is exemplary of high-risk agricultural work settings. The pilot study will help delineate advantages and limitations of our approach and the data collected will help us generate study designs for future submissions. Long term, the use of virtual environments can serve to elucidate the etiology of occupational injuries and possibly help identify high-risk populations. environments can serve to elucidate the etiology of occupational injuries and possibly help identify high-risk populations. The broad long-term objectives are:

Facilitate the adaptation and adoption of emerging simulation technologies for assessment of safety practices in situations that potentially can produce traumatic injury.

To explore the efficacy of the system for use in identifying high-risk individuals.

Evaluate the extension of simulation environments for intervention delivery

Use of the simulation environment to study the efficacy of intervention methods

Disseminate cost-effective best-practice information regarding these technologies

Midwest Landscape Intervention Evaluation Pilot Program

Principal Investigator: Larry Chapman, Senior Scientist, University of Wisconsin, E-mail: ljchapman@facstaff.wisc.edu

Investigate the landscape operations sector of the agricultural industry as a candidate for a NIOSH intervention evaluation award or other funding. The specific aims of this projects include:

Learn from landscape operation growers and landscape industry resource people about the landscape industry including work activities, job hazards, candidate safer and more profitable work practices and tools, and sources for a sampling frame of landscape operations in the Great Lakes states
Learn from previously published research and on-going projects about the landscape industry including work activities, job hazards, candidate safer and more profitable work practices and tools, and sources for a sampling frame of landscape operations in the Great Lakes states.

Vehicle-in-the-loop Virtual Reality Simulation of Tractor Rollover

Principal Investigator: Dr. Qin Zhang, Associate Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign E-mail: qinzhang@uiuc.edu

This pilot research intends to collect preliminary data for designing a “vehicle-in-the-loop” (VIL) virtual reality simulator of tractor rollover. The specific aims for this project include:

Prepare a research platform with a field image recorder for field data collection
Perform baseline tests for field data collection under the normal field operation conditions
Design a conceptual system of the VIL virtual reality simulator.

Completed Projects

A Calculated Analysis of the Noise Levels Associated with
Equipment and Machinery Used in Production Agriculture

Principal Investigator: Sam Steel, Ed.D., Director, Projects and Grants, Home & Community Safety and Health Group, National Safety Council: E-mail: steels@nsc.org

The objective of this 12-month study is to develop a methodology for accurately measuring the decibel noise levels of machinery and equipment commonly used in the production agriculture workplace. Further, this project is compiling, publishing and disseminating a listing of the decibel levels of farm machinery and equipment that have been subjected to measurement methods and protocols that have been developed and implemented for the agricultural workplace.

Effectiveness of Sun Safety Intervention Approaches to
Change Sun Safety Behavior of Agricultural Workers

Principal Investigator: Benita M. Jackson MD, MPH, FACPM Assistant Professor, Division of Epidemiology and Biometrics, School of Public Health, The Ohio State University, E-mail: jackson-smoot.290@osu.edu, Co-Principal Investigator: Dee Jepsen MS, Program Director, Department of Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering, The Ohio State University, E-mail: jepsen.4@osu.edu

Public health strategies to improve the health and safety conditions of the agricultural workplace frequently consist of education and voluntary intervention techniques. Techniques in social and cognitive psychology have been used to facilitate changes in farmers’ knowledge, attitudes, cultural beliefs, and behaviors. People’s decisions to protect themselves are influenced by personal and environmental factors. The application of Social Learning Theory (Baranowski, Perry, and Parcel, 1997) to sun protective behaviors provides some guidance for the development of this intervention.
Thus, the specific aims of this project are to:

Use an experimental design to evaluate the effectiveness of a skin cancer prevention program for agricultural workers and pesticide applicators.

Evaluate the effectiveness of sun safety training, the use of sun safe headgear, and the impact of the Dermascan“ sun exposure screening equipment on changing sun safety practices of a selected population of agricultural workers and pesticide applicators.

Evaluate the acceptability of the design of sun safe headgear for use in agricultural work situations.

Explore the influence of the affective domain and peer response to use sun safe headgear among a selected population of agricultural workers and pesticide applicators.

Engulfment in Flowing Grain: Understanding the Problem

Principal Investigators: Mary J. Fleming, RN, BSN, Agricultural Health Coordinator, Grady Memorial Hospital, E-mail: mfleming@gradyhospital.com
Douglas M. Kingman, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Agriculture, Illinois State University, E-mail: dkingman@ilstu.edu

This project is designed to obtain more information about the population at risk for engulfment in grain and developing a prototype grain rescue tube that is effective and affordable. A study will be conducted to evaluate attitudes of individuals who are most at risk of entrapment in grain, regarding their safety and knowledge relating to flowing grain, and their risk taking behaviors. Detailed on site case surveillance is being used for all identified cases of fatal and non-fatal engulfment. Current grain safety curriculum and training materials are being reviewed in comparison to the database of cases. A plastic prototype grain rescue tube is being tested and refined as needed. The evaluation of the tube includes characteristics such as functionality, fail-safe capability, and compliance with OSHA recommendations. A training program is being developed to implement with a larger scale placement of grain rescue tubes and evaluation of the tubes in the next phase of the project.

Outreach and Coalition Building for Agricultural Safety and
Health in Michigan – A One-Year Pilot Project

Principal Investigator: Larry G. Olsen, Ph.D., Center Director, North Central Pest Management, Michigan State University, E-mail: olsenl@msue.msu.edu

This project is determining and prioritizing the agricultural safety and health information needs of those involved in farming in Michigan, and developing a comprehensive plan to determine who and how to respond to those needs. The pilot project is the first step towards this objective. Its specific aims are:

Inventorying and determining current status of agricultural safety and health outreach programs and resources for Michigan farmers.

Identifying our key stakeholders and constituents – those groups and individuals in Michigan with either a need or an interest in agricultural safety and health – and determine which ones could play a key role in the project.

Identifying the preferred means to communicate with these partners.

Designing and conducting a Needs Assessment for agricultural safety and health information.

Developing a plan to identify common priority interests.

Developing a plan to begin building an agricultural safety and health coalition for Michigan.

Preliminary Study to Assess Air Quality on Ohio Farms and
Health Risk to Farmers and Their Neighbors

Principal Investigators:
Lingying Zhao, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering, The Ohio State University, E-mail: zhao.119@osu.edu
Michael Brugger, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering, The Ohio State University, E-mail: brugger.1@osu.edu

Animal production generates significant levels of aerial pollutants such as ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, methane, carbon dioxide, odor, and dust. An extensive literature review has documented acute and chronic respiratory diseases and dysfunction among swine and poultry workers from exposures to the aerial pollutants. Odor also causes annoyances and complaints among farm neighbors. The management of aerial pollutant is a major issue that farmers have to face.
It is currently difficult to assess the adverse effects of aerial pollutants on farmer workers’ health because of limited scientific data about air quality on a farm. Accordingly, effective pollution control technology and practical regulations are not effectively established yet.

The project is assessing farm air quality and farmer worker’s exposure level to aerial pollutants and providing baseline data on aerial pollutant emissions on large Ohio farms for use by government agencies, producers, and researchers.

The baseline information about farm air quality will help farmers to understand their production environment and its true impact and assist them to determine how to best protect workers properly. It will supply guidance for policy making in terms of regulating levels and testing protocols.

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