National Farm Safety and Health Week
September 15-21, 2024
#NFSHW24 #USAgCenters
HISTORY
The 2019 data for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that the agricultural sector is still the most dangerous in America with 573 fatalities, or an equivalent of 23.1 deaths per 100,000 workers.
Fall harvest time can be one of the busiest and most dangerous seasons of the year for the agriculture industry. For this reason, the third week of September has been recognized as National Farm Safety and Health Week. This annual promotion initiated by the National Safety Council has been proclaimed as such by each sitting U.S. President since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944. National Farm Safety and Health Week is led by the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety (NECAS), the agricultural partner of the National Safety Council.
DAILY THEMES
Every September, the U.S Agricultural Centers join partners across the U.S to raise awareness about the safety and health of people working agriculture by promoting resources that fit with the daily themes of National Farm Safety and Health Week. This year, NFSHW is September 15 – 21, 2024.
| MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 | Equipment & Rural Roadway Safety |
| TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 | Health and Wellness |
| WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 | Generations of Farming |
| THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 | Confined Spaces in Agriculture |
| FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 | Reporting AG Injuries |
AGRISAFE WEBINARS
AgriSafe Network is hosting webinars each weekday of NFSHW24. You’re invited to join in for all of them or just pick the ones that interest you most. These webinars are FREE and open to the public.
NFSHW24: Skid Loader Safety
September 16, 2024
11:00am - 12:00pm Central
This class will talk over some of the basics of skid loader operation including why there should be no passengers, proper transport, safety features, and blind spots.
NFSHW24: Agricultural Equipment and the Driving Public
September 16, 2024
1:00pm - 2:00pm Central
This webinar is to provide an understanding of where the interaction between agriculture machines and non-rural traffic is occurring, what are some of the more common types of incidents that are occurring, and what resources are available to reduce ag equipment and regular vehicle incidents.
NFSHW24: Noise: Bad for My Ears and Heart Too?
September 17, 2024
11:00am - 12:00pm Central
This session will provide participants with state-of-the-science information regarding the effects of occupational and environmental noise on health. A variety of methods to protect adults and children from the hazards of noise exposure will be discussed.
NFSHW24: Conversations on Access to Lethal Means (CALM) Training
September 17, 2024
1:00pm - 2:00pm Central
CALM (Conversations on Access to Lethal Means) is a suicide prevention training that encourages safe storage of lethal means (firearms and medications) during a suicidal crisis. By temporarily putting time and distance between a suicidal person and highly lethal means, a life may be saved. CALM: Counseling on Access to Lethal Means was originally created as a workshop designed for mental health professionals.
NFSHW24: Three-Step Process to Farm Succession Planning
September 18, 2024
11:00am - 12:00pm Central
Research shows that working with other family members and succession planning are top stressors for farmers. This presentation will provide an overview of common barriers to planning for the next generation of owners/managers for family-owned farms. It will discuss recent research on what service professionals need from the owners to better serve their succession planning needs. Kirkpatrick will provide practical tools that those supporting farmers can use to get the important and hard conversations started at the farm/family level. The three-step process provides a framework that farm members can follow and break down into smaller action steps. It blends practical, technical steps with ideas to address the emotional and personal dynamics that can derail succession planning.
NFSHW24: Training Future Generations of Farmers through Registered Apprenticeship
September 18, 2024
1:00pm - 2:00pm Central
The agriculture industry faces a shortage of skilled farmers with many experienced farmers nearing retirement age. We will highlight how farmers can utilizeRegistered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs) to train the next generation of farmers, combining classroom and online learning with hands-on experience on working farms.
NFSHW24: No Safe Way to Vape
September 18, 2024
3:00pm - 4:00pm Central
This session aims to provide attendees the tools necessary to equip their students with a comprehensive understanding of the health risks associated with vaping, debunk common myths, and foster critical thinking and informed decision-making skills. Through detailed exploration of vaping’s short-term and long-term effects, interactive discussions, and evidence-based counterarguments, attendees will learn a variety of methods to communicate how to critically analyze misinformation to their students.
NFSHW24: Causes of Oxygen Deficiency, Confined Space, and Toxic Fumes Identified in the OSHA Accident Database
September 19, 2024
11:00am - 12:00pm Central
This webinar presents an in-depth analysis of records from the OSHA Accident Database, focusing on incidents coded as “Oxygen Deficiency,” “Confined Space,” and “Toxic Fume” from January 1, 2014, to May 23, 2024. The presentation will identify trends, common causes, and effective preventive measures for these hazardous conditions. Through a detailed examination of these records, the webinar provides critical insights into the factors contributing to oxygen deficiency, dangers within confined spaces, and the presence of toxic fumes in workplaces. The findings highlight the importance of targeted safety interventions to protect workers’ health and enhance workplace safety. Key trends and preventive strategies will be discussed to help industries implement effective measures against these hazards.
NFSHW24: Grain Related Entrapments – Are we Focusing on the Right Problem?
September 19, 2024
1:00pm - 2:00pm Central
This webinar will address the well documented relationship between the presence of out-of-condition grain and the increased probability of grain-related entrapment. Methods for safe removal of out-of-condition grain will also be addressed.
NFSHW24: It Pays to Talk Safety in AG
September 20, 2024
11:00am - 12:00pm Central
A recent publication has estimated that agricultural injuries are underreported by an astonishing 70%. This webinar will discuss the challenges, barriers, and unintended consequences for suppressing injury reporting in the agricultural workforce. We will also take a look at “good” and “bad” safety incentive programs and how to encourage the workforce to talk about incidents, fostering a positive safety culture.
NFSHW24: Using a Novel App Prototype to Assess Heat Stress Risk Among Outdoor Workers
September 20, 2024
1:00pm - 2:00pm Central
Wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) index is the preferred environmental heat metric for heat-related illness (HRI) prevention in the workplace and is typically measured using a heat stress monitor. Measuring the on-site WBGT with a heat stress monitor provides the most accurate localized assessment of a worker’s environmental heat exposure. However, WBGT data may not always be easily accessible for worksite heat stress evaluation.
RESOURCES
- UMASH Farm Safety Check
The UMASH Farm Safety Check is a quick monthly review to identify and fix potential hazards before they cause harm to your family and employees – and your bottom line. Each month, Farm Safety Check will focus on a different topic, offering checklists and tips to help identify hazards, along with resources to remedy any problems.
- UMASH Resource Database
Download agricultural safety and health resources created by UMASH, our pilot project programs, and collaborating institutions
- UMASH Ag Safety and Health Spotlight
The UMASH Ag Health and Safety Spotlight features stories from farmers and farm families about their experiences with injury or illness on the farm as well as stories that highlight new resources and organizations that are working to improve agricultural safety and health.
- Agricultural Education Teacher Resources
Teaching agricultural safety and health is an important topic for the next generation of farmers and related agriculture professions. UMASH has compiled materials that ag educators can use to highlight agricultural safety and health in the classroom, including lesson plans, resources on a variety of health and safety topics, awareness events, planning tools, and tips on how to use the material in the classroom.
- eXtension.org
Resources and tools to help the Extension workforce increase local and national impact.
- FarmAnswers.org
USDA-NIFA beginning farmer and rancher (BFRDP) clearinghouse, providing resources to help you get started farming, as well as tools to help more seasoned producers succeed.
- Farm MAPPER
A pre-plan map of farms to expedite response times in emergencies.
- SaferFarm
A hazard analysis tool recommending abatement of common farm hazards.
- Safety in Agriculture for Youth (SAY) National Clearinghouse
Safety in Agriculture for Youth (SAY) is a national clearinghouse that provides two types of materials: formal, educational curriculum and resources that support Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources (AFNR) guidelines for classroom instruction.