Agricultural Security Monitoring and Safety Alert System: Implementation of Wireless Video on the Farmstead.

Solitary work is common on farmsteads and is often a key contributor to delayed responses to life-threatening incidents. This research focused on applications, system components, mounting considerations, and configuration of automatic video alert systems for agricultural safety and security. This technology can be used to monitor and alert farm managers of workers in high-risk locations and potentially reduce the frequency of fatal or serious-injury incidents. Video monitoring of these sites could also reduce the need for in-person inspections, decreasing direct exposure to such locations. Security applications of the technology allow monitoring of high-value equipment, tools, inputs, and products. Continued development of video-based safety initiatives will lead to better applications for enhancing worker safety, hazard detection, and farm security.

Utilizing Secondary Agricultural Education Programs to Deliver Evidence-Based Grain Safety Training for Young and Beginning Workers.

Purdue University's Agricultural Safety and Health Program (PUASHP) has collaborated with secondary agricultural education programs, including FFA Chapters, for over 70 years to deliver and promote agricultural safety and health programming. With support from a U.S. Department of Labor Susan Harwood Program grant, PUASHP utilized a Developing a Curriculum (DACUM) process to develop, implement, and evaluate an evidence-based curriculum for use with young and beginning workers, ages 16-20, exposed to hazards associated with grain storage and handling. The primary audience was students enrolled in secondary agricultural education programs. A review of the literature identified a gap in educational resources that specifically addresses this target population. The curriculum developed was based on fatality and injury incident data mined from Purdue's Agricultural Confined Space Incident Database and input from a panel of experts. The process identified 27 learning outcomes and finalized a pool of test questions, supported by empirical evidence and confirmed by a panel of experts. An alignment process was then completed with the current national standards for secondary agricultural education programs. Seventy-two youth, ages 16-20, enrolled in secondary-school agricultural education programs, and a smaller group of post-secondary students under the age of 21 interested in working in the grain industry pilot tested the curriculum. Based on student and instructor feedback, the curriculum was refined and submitted to OSHA for approval as part of OSHA's online training resources. The curriculum was delivered to 3,665 students, ages 16-20. A total of 346 pre- and post-tests were analyzed, and the results used to confirm content validity and assess knowledge gain. Findings led to additional modifications to curriculum content, affirmed knowledge gain, and confirmed appropriateness for use with secondary agricultural education programs. The curriculum has been promoted nationally and made available for free download from www.agconfinedspaces.org . Findings further confirmed the value of delivering safety programming through established programs such as secondary agricultural education programs and FFA Chapters serving youth.

Estimating the prevalence of disability within the U.S. farm and ranch population.

A review of literature was conducted on farm and ranch population estimates, the prevalence of disability in that group, and the effect of disease and injury on that disability rate. Methods used by various entities (primarily governmental) to estimate the population and disability prevalence among farmers, ranchers, family members, and other agricultural workers are summarized. A systematic methodology was developed to combine results from the most recent surveys and censuses and was used to make best estimates of the agricultural population impacted by disability. The findings show that estimates of the disability population in the farm, ranch, and agricultural labor sector, ranges from 1.04 million to 2.23 million individuals depending upon which surveys and censuses are used. Primary reasons identified for the inability to provide a more precise population size include lack of consistent survey methodologies and definitions. A strong argument can be made for additional efforts to determine a more accurate value for the number of individuals in the farm and ranch population who would benefit from disability services, as well as a more accurate estimate of the total population directly involved in agricultural production. Without such data, calculation of more reliable exposure levels to injury and disability is not possible.