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New Tractor Safety Program in Minnesota

The Minnesota legislature approved funding for a tractor safety program to help Minnesota farmers add rollover protection to older tractors.  Under this program, Minnesota will now have the nation’s best-funded tractor safety plan. Tractor accidents were the number one cause of death, accounting for more than 1,700 fatalities among U.S. farmworkers …

Zika Virus Resources

The Zika virus is a real threat to agricultural workers in some parts of the country. To help combat the spread and minimize the threat caused by this virus, OSHA and NIOSH collaborated to create a Zika Virus Fact Sheet. This new fact sheet provides interim guidance to employers and workers with information and directions on preventing occupational …

UMASH at 2016 WPHA – WALHDAB Annual Conference

UMASH participated in the 2016 Wisconsin Public Health Association – Wisconsin Association of Local Health Departments and Boards (WPHA – WALHDAB) Annual Conference at Appleton, Wisconsin, May 24-26, 2016. Iris Reyes, MPH, Research Specialist with the National Farm Medicine Center and Research Specialist with the UMASH Project “Seguridad …

Jeff Bender and Carolyn Sheridan Teach Public Health Institute Course

Jeff Bender, DVM, MS DACVPM, UMASH Co-Director and Carolyn Sheridan, RN, BSN, Clinical Director, AgriSafe Network,  co-taught “Minimizing Transmission of Infectious Diseases During Outbreaks: Public Health Protection for You and Your Workforce” May 23-27, 2016 as part of the Public Health Institute.   This course included discussion on preventing …

SPOTLIGHT: 2015 UMASH Annual Forum – Partnerships Create Greater Impact

MAY 2016 Natalie Loots UMASH Evaluation Team Research Assistant, Division of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Minnesota School of Public Health “If I hadn’t been sitting in the room then I would not have made that connection.” – Carolyn Sheridan, clinical director of the AgriSafe Network referring to her experience at the May …

2016 NORA Symposium Held May 4

The 2016 National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) Symposium was held Wednesday, May 4 at Mayo Memorial Auditorium at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. The symposium was co-sponsored by the Midwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety (MCOHS) and the Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (UMASH).  The featured …

SPOTLIGHT: “Stress Less” with Good Stockmanship and Reduce Worker Injuries

MAY 2016 Jeffrey B. Bender DVM Director/CAHFS, Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine Moving and handling 1400-pound animals is not a job for everyone – it is however, one that dairy farmers do every day. Across the Midwest large dairy cattle are moved to and from the parlor several times each day.  …

Jeff Bender Presents Needlestick Prevention Webinar

UMASH Center Co-Director, Dr. Jeff Bender, presented “Don’t Get Stuck! Preventing Needlestick Injuries in Agricultural Settings” as a noontime webinar hosted by the AgriSafe Network on Wednesday, March 30, 2016. Needlestick injuries in agriculture are common although not as recognized as those in human clinical settings. Farmers, ranchers, …

UMASH Pilot Projects

Application Deadline: March 7, 2016

The Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (UMASH) is requesting applications for small grants ranging from $5,000 to a maximum of $25,000 to address health and safety issues related to agricultural workers and their families.

UMASH is specifically interested in projects that address concepts outlined in the NIOSH National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) for agriculture and in the NORA strategic goals, approach agricultural safety and health challenges using a One Health model that considers the connections between human, animal, and environmental health, and address issues important to the agriculture industry in the Upper Midwest.

This announcement is open to investigators working in academic, government, community, industry or health care settings who have the knowledge, skills, and ability to carry out the proposed work.

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