This study investigated the agricultural work-related safety and health programming of county-level cooperative extension agents who work through land grant universities to provide a range of educational programs to agricultural producers. A questionnaire was designed and administered to all 89 Wisconsin agriculture and agribusiness extension county faculty. The questionnaire obtained valid responses from 98.9 percent of the agents. Ninety percent of all agents conducted some occupational safety and health promotion programming in the last year. These activities occupied an average of 4.8 days per agent per year. Most of the reported activities were group programs for the agricultural labor force that involved other extension agents and included the use of videotapes. The greatest barrier to more programming was lack of time on the part of both the agricultural work force and the agents. Most extension agents placed greater emphasis on training in how to work safely around hazards than on how to recognize and permanently correct hazards. For future programs agents requested more short format materials to use in programming, such as fact sheets, videotapes, and farm hazard inspection checklists. Agents are important training delivery resources for controlling farm-related injury and disease. Agents could be more effective with more time, better materials, and with more emphasis on hazard correction in workplace safety programs.
An in-depth investigation of an unusual, non-enclosed manure storage hydrogen sulfide-induced fatality on a Holstein beef production operation is presented. The case involved several factors that likely played a role in the young farmer's death. These included zero wind movement, a reported temperature inversion in the area, relatively cool late summer outdoor temperatures on the morning of the incident, higher outdoor temperatures the week prior, and a high by-product steer ration containing ingredients that contributed significant sulfur content to the stored manure. Recommendations are offered for future research to determine the combinations of conditions and inputs that have potential to increase human and animal risk around manure storage structures. Based on this case and others recently documented showing unsafe levels of hydrogen sulfide being released from similar outdoor storages, it is critical that agricultural industry experts and input suppliers continue to analyze risk and consequences associated with new management practices, processes, inputs (including feed ingredients and animal bedding), machines, and other technology developed to support animal agriculture. Production practice and educational guidance are also offered based on this case and published literature.
Safety education alone is unlikely to reduce injuries unless unsafe conditions are modified. Instructors need to emphasize teaching of skills in hazard recognition, identification, and control. Instructors felt they could be more effective with better materials and more time for injury and disease prevention.
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