Agricultural Safety Education: Formative Assessment of a Curriculum Integration Strategy.

The purpose of this study was to assess an agricultural tractor and machinery safety curriculum for teacher training that focused on hands-on integration activities to assist with training youth in machinery safety skills. Teachers attended a single ten-hour summer training seminar hosted in Montana, South Dakota, or Utah during 2017. Teachers completed the National Tractor and Machinery Safe Operation (NSTMOP) exam to measure their existing knowledge prior to beginning the training. Upon seminar completion, teachers took an NSTMOP post-test to measure their knowledge gain of agricultural safety practices and hazard recognition associated with machinery and tractors. A total of 116 teachers completed the training. Fifty-three participants (45.7%) identified as female, and 63 (54.3%) identified as male. The average participant was 35 years old (SD = 11.3) and had 9.5 years of teaching experience (SD = 9.2). The average NSTMOP pre-test score was 35.2 out of 48 (SD = 3.3), and the average NSTMOP post-test score was 40.3 out of 48 (SD = 4.1). Participants' scores increased by ten percentage points. A paired-samples t-test was used to determine statistical significance. The difference between pre-test and post-test was significant (t(109) = 11.9, p < 0.001). Open responses indicated continuation of hands-on activities that focused on "how to teach" skills training that is relevant to the students. Teachers suggested developing new activities each year with a rotation of topics for upcoming seminars. Research is needed to determine the training's influence on the behaviors of young workers in agriculture.

Safety in High School Supervised Agricultural Experiences: Teachers' Training and Students' Injury Awareness.

This research study sought to gather evidence of school-based agriculture teachers' hazard perceptions, safety practices, training experiences, and awareness of student injuries related to supervised agricultural experience (SAE) programs. Teachers agreed that students should follow safety guidelines developed by the National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Safety and Health during SAE work. Approximately 66% (f = 153) of teachers reported having general training in first aid, CPR, and AED. Twenty participants (8.6%) indicated having no safety certifications or training. Abrasions, lacerations, bites/stings, and burns accounted for a majority of the student SAE-related injuries that were reported. There were 82 participants (35.5%) who stated that no injuries had been reported or they were not aware of any injuries that occurred. The majority of teachers (66%) had received some form offirst aid or first response training, but fewer teachers had received safety training for ATVs (f = 25, 10.8%), tractors (f = 48, 20.7%), and livestock (f = 39, 16.8%). Results indicated a disparity between required safe work habits and the types of hazardous tasks students should be allowed to complete alone while participating in SAE activities. It appears most responding teachers in this study agreed to allow students to operate equipment and machinery alone. Recommendations for teachers include attending professional development training specific to SAE safety and keeping records of any risk assessments conducted during SAE supervision. Further development of best practices for SAE supervision and safety are needed to assist agricultural education professionals in protecting and shaping our future leaders in agriculture.

Estimating the effect of selected predictors on agricultural confined-space hazard perceptions of Utah farm owner/operators.

The purpose of this study was to assess how selected variables affect the confined-space hazard perceptions of farmers in Utah. A confined space was defined as "any space found in an agricultural workplace that was not designed or intended as a regular workstation, has limited or restricted means of entry or exit, and contains potential physical and toxic hazards to workers who intentionally or unintentionally enter the space" (proposed by NCERA-197, 18 May 2011, draft copy). A total of 303 out of 327 farm owner/operators provided complete surveys that were used in the analysis. The state of Utah was grouped into five regions in this study: central, east, northeast, northwest, and southwest. Grain and dairy production comprised 48.7% of the operations responding to the survey. The general linear modeling (GLM) procedure in SAS 9.3 was used to select the models on hazard perception scores for the five studied regions. Interested predictors included response type, production type, safety planning, and injury concerns. Animal production operations had the highest average number of confined spaces (micro = 4, SD = 2.7). Regionally, the northwest region had the highest average number of confined spaces (micro = 4, SD = 2.5). The variables contributing most to confined-space hazard perceptions were injury and death concerns while working alone in confined spaces. Three factors were generated using principle factor analysis (PFA) with orthogonal varimax rotation. Results suggested that factors affect hazard perceptions differently by region. We conclude that outreach and educational efforts to change safety behaviors regarding confined-space hazards should be strategically targeted for each region based on predicting factors. The result can assist agricultural safety and health professionals in targeting agricultural producers' social networks to address human factors such as worker attitudes and/or lack of skills or knowledge that effect hazard perceptions of confined spaces in agriculture.

Diné (Navajo) parents' and community leaders' perceptions of agriculture-related injury risk to youth: a social narrative.

The purpose of this study was to provide a formative needs assessment of Diné (Navajo) parents for the prevention of childhood injuries resulting from livestock and horses. The research objectives were to identify parents' perceived livestock and horse related injury risks to Diné children and describe Diné community stakeholder input on prevention interventions for reducing injury risks to children associated with livestock and horse related activities on farms or ranches. The assessment used a survey constructed of closed and open-response questions to gauge Diné farmers' and ranchers' perceptions of injury risks to children who live or work on agricultural operations. Additional questions were asked to gauge Diné acceptance of an online training program as a prevention intervention to reduce livestock and horse related injuries to children. A total of 96 individuals agreed to participate in the survey and provided usable responses. A total of 53.2% (f = 50) of participants were female. Sixty-three percent of participants (f = 58) perceived that youth who work with intact male livestock were at high risk for injury. A total of 25 individuals perceived that youth who ride horses without equestrian helmets were at high risk for injury. Approximately 96% (f = 89) of those surveyed agreed or strongly agreed that they would use an online training program to promote agricultural health and safety for Diné youth. When participants were asked if there were safety issues associated with having youth working on a farm or ranch, a very large portion felt that the biggest issue was a lack of education and instruction from elders. A recommendation for an injury prevention practice included developing a user-friendly online network, giving parents and community leaders access to resources to assist in educating youth in local agricultural traditions integrated with safety training.

Hand safety for specialty crop production workers: a pilot study investigating frequencies of minor open-wound hand injuries and presence of pathogenic bacteria.

The purpose of this study was to quantify the presence of minor open-wound hand injuries in addition to Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, coliforms, and Escherichia coli on the hands of farm workers who hand-harvest fruit crops in Utah. Data collection was conducted on four farms without USDA Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certification and on two farms with GAP certification. This study identified essential safety issues that need to be addressed for improving the effectiveness of safety training for migrant farm workers. Farms that have a food safety audit program in place are less likely to have farm workers exposed to pathogenic bacteria and open-wound injuries to their hands. High frequency of S. aureus may indicate a potentially higher risk for wound infection within this worker population. This could lead to infections that are resistant to the antibiotics commonly used to treat ordinary staph infections, resulting in greater work loss time and medical expenses for these workers. Higher frequencies of bacterial presence on workers' hands on non-certified farms indicate a need to identify essential practices to improve worker hygiene habits and on-farm management practices to promote healthy hygiene. Open-wound injuries to migrant farm workers during hand-harvesting could create additional health problems with the possibility of infection and the spread of diseases. Continued research is needed to understand workers' acceptance of these injuries and barriers to personal protection.

Utah farm owner/operators' safety practices and risk awareness regarding confined space work in agriculture.

The purpose of this study was to describe current safety practices and risk awareness associated with confined spaces in agriculture among Utah farm owner/operators. There were 399 farm owner/operators in the sample. The final response rate was 82.2%. The typical farm owner/operator in this study was male, between the ages of 50 and 59, with some education beyond high school. Grain and dairy production comprised 48.7% of the operations responding to the survey. A majority (50.2%) of respondents reported having entered a confined space without an observer waiting from the outside. All but 9.5% of the respondents indicated that they had no written emergency response plan in the event of a confined space emergency involving an entrant. Only 49.1% of farm owner/operators perceived entering a grain bin while unloading as a high risk for fatal injury. More research is needed to determine the farmers' knowledge of the variety of hazards associated with confined space work. Few farm owner/operators reported using accessible safety equipment. A limited number of respondents indicated having access to gas monitors, lifeline and harness systems, or ventilation blowers with flexible ducting. This may be associated with the costs of the equipment, or lack of awareness of the need for specific safety equipment.

Distribution of family practitioners and other specialists in Texas, 1973 to 1980: second statistical review.

A follow-up study was conducted at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas to document the changes in the geographic distribution of family/general practitioners and other medical specialists in Texas between 1973 and 1980. Results of the analysis suggest that more physicians are choosing to locate in sparsely populated areas of the state. This trend is a reversal of the pattern established in an earlier study and seems to indicate an improvement in the access to medical care for residents of small communities in Texas.

Impact of a family practice residency program on physician location in small communities.

We conducted a study to determine the practice location pattern among graduates of a family practice residency program with respect to the distribution of the physicians in nonurban areas of the country. One of the primary goals of The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas Family Practice Residency Program based in the John Peter Smith Hospital of Fort Worth is to encourage and increase the number of physicians who will eventually locate in rural areas or in small communities. Analysis of the project supports the conclusion that a residency training program does not need to be based geographically in a rural area to achieve an equitable distribution of physicians in nonurban areas.

Selection of primary care as a medical career: demographic and psychosocial correlates.

A study analyzing demographic and psychosocial correlates associated with the selection of primary care as a medical career was conducted on 357 physicians who were graduated from medical school between 1963 and 1966. Results suggest that individuals who were reared in smaller communities, who were among the younger siblings of their family, and who exhibited a strong pattern of socialization at home and school tended to choose a primary care specialty. The findings also suggest that if all other factors are equal and if production of primary care physicians is an important goal, medical school admission committees might consider including cross-validated psychosocial and demographic variables in selecting applicants to medical schools.

Hospitals and medical schools as factors in the selection of location of practice.

A study analyzing the relationship between the state in which a physician practices and the location of residency training was conducted using as subjects 467 individuals who entered graduate medical training programs at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas. The study population included physicians who were graduated from medical schools between 1955 and 1969 and who entered a phase of graduate training (internship/residency) at one of Southwestern Medical School's affiliated teaching hospitals. Results of the study support the conclusions of an earlier report that stressed the influence of the location of residency training in retaining physicians in Texas. The statistical findings indicate that if all other factors are equal, additional residency positions filled by graduates of medical schools in the same state might aid in increasing the retention rate of medical practitioners there.