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National Farm Safety and Health Week 2015

National Farm Safety and Health Week 2015

Ag Safety is not just a slogan; it’s a lifestyle
September 20-26, 2015

#FSHWPledge #FarmSafety #FSHW15

NFSHW 2015

 

America’s farmers provide us with an abundant food supply. But farmers are exposed to a unique, sometimes hazardous workplace. Agriculture continues to rank as one of the most dangerous occupations in North America and across the globe.

National Farm Safety and Health Week is September 20-26, 2015. This year’s theme is “Ag Safety is not just a slogan: it’s a lifestyle”.

The National Education Center for Agricultural Safety (NECAS), UMASH, and the US Agricultural Centers funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) are spotlighting agricultural health and safety with a variety of resources for farm workers, their families, and everyone involved in agriculture.

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THE AG SAFETY AND HEALTH PLEDGE

NFSW_PledgeUMASH initiated a Pledge campaign from August 1st through September 30th, 2015 as part of National Farm Safety and Health Week.

The Pledge, promoted the ‘Ag safety is not just a slogan, it’s a lifestyle’ theme and included these eleven safety reminders:

 

  • Wash my hands after handling animals or leaving animal facilities
  • Apply sunscreen when going outside, even on cloudy days
  • Be PALS (calm and patient) when moving animals
  • Use proper techniques to avoid accidental needlesticks
  • Wear proper ear protection when working around loud equipment or machinery
  • Adopt a ‘no riders’ policy
  • Keep floors and walkways clear of obstacles and hazards
  • Encourage friends, family and employees to follow safe and healthy farm practices
  • Speak up if I see someone doing something unsafe
  • Print and hang the pledge poster
  • Share pledge with others

Participants were encouraged to select one or more of the activities to demonstrate their commitment. Engagement by the public as well as staff and students was widespread and included regional media attention.

UMASH Ag Safety Pledge Media Mentions
DATEMEDIA
9/21/2015WNAX Radio
National Farm Safety Week Proclaimed
9/16/2015WSMI Radio
Interview with Jeff Bender
9/15/2015MN Farm Bureau
Voice of Agriculture newsletter
9/15/2015WI Office of Rural Health
Ag Safety Pledge Campaign
9/14/2015The Rural Blog
Ag Safety pledge runs through end of September
9/3/2015Utah Farm Bureau
Take the Ag Safety Pledge
9/2/2015Hoards Dairyman
Ag safety is not just a slogan, it’s a lifestyle
9/1/2015University of Minnesota School of Public Health
Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center Launches Ag Safety Pledge Campaign
8/28/2015The Land
August 28, 2015 Issue – Page 6
8/23/2015High Plains/Midwest Ag Journal
Take a safety pledge
8/21/2015Angus Beef Bulletin
Take the Pledge for Ag Safety
8/16/2015Hub City Times
UMASH Launches Ag Safety Pledge
8/15/2016Hoards Dairyman
UMASH Launches Ag Safety Pledge
8/13/2015AgriMarketing
Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety & Health Center Launches Ag Safety Pledge

 

RESOURCES

NFSHW Promotional Materials
UMASH Ag Safety Resources
  • 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
    UMASH Ag Safety and Health: Stories from the Field highlights the stories of farmers and farm families – their experiences with injury or disease on the farm, as well as what they learned and suggestions for prevention.
NIOSH Agricultural Safety and Health Centers
The Centers for Agricultural Disease and Injury Research, Education, and Prevention represent a major NIOSH effort to protect the health and safety of agricultural workers and their families. The Centers were established by cooperative agreement to conduct research, education, and prevention projects to address the nation’s pressing agricultural health and safety problems. Geographically, the Centers are distributed throughout the nation to be responsive to the agricultural health and safety issues unique to the different regions.

US Ag Centers YouTube Channel
The US Agricultural Centers funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health offer online safety videos through a special YouTube channel. These safety videos are designed for producers, Extension agents, first responders and farm families. The videos can be especially relevant during harvest season, as farmers are putting in long hours under the stress of weather delays and equipment breakdowns.

National Education Center for Agricultural Safety (NECAS)
The National Education Center for Agricultural Safety (NECAS) is dedicated to preventing illnesses, injuries, and deaths among farmers and ranchers, agricultural and horticultural workers, their families, and their employees. NECAS is a partnership with the National Safety Council and Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) Peosta campus.

Links and Additional Resources

 

AGRISAFE WEBINARS

AgriSafe Network will be conducting daily webinars to inform professionals, as well as Agricultural producers on important agricultural occupational health and safety topics.

Monday, September 21 — Rural Roadway Safety

Presenter:
Brian Hammer, Risk Management Sr. Consultant, Nationwide Insurance

Summary:
Nationwide started their focus on Rural Road Safety website this year as part of the We Stand For You initiative. Through the session you will learn about problems faced today on the rural roadways and items to be considered for increased safety on the rural roads. The discussion will cover some of the more common situations on the rural roads and how to best handle those situations along with other miscellaneous safety tips to consider when traveling on the rural roadways.

Tuesday, September 22 — Confined Space – Manure Pit Entry

Presenter:
Dan Neenan, MBA, Director, NECAS

Summary:
The Manure Pit Safety program is intended for workers and managers in agriculture. This includes Pumping companies, farm operators and workers and agriculture business owners. The major focus of the program is safety in confined space work areas.

Wednesday, September 23 — Harvest Season: Are the Children Safe?

Presenters:
Marsha Salzwedel, Youth Agricultural Safety Specialist
Bryan Weichelt, Project Manager
National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety

Summary:
Keeping children safe while they live, play and work on farms can be challenging. It’s even more difficult during harvest season, peak time for agricultural injuries. Each year, news headlines tell grim but preventable stories of death and injury. Non-working children, ages 6-and-under, are particularly vulnerable.

Thursday, September 24 — AgriSafe: Healthier is Here

Presenter:
AgriSafe Network

Summary:
AgriSafe is dedicated to training health and safety professionals who are prepared to serve the unique health care needs of agricultural communities. This week AgriSafe intends to engage rural health advocates in recognizing the prevention of farm injury and illness.

Friday, September 25 — Research to Practice in Agriculture: The National ROPS Rebate Program

Presenters:
Pamela Tinc, Research Coordinator
New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health (NYCAMH)

Summary:
Over the past decade, the ROPS Rebate Program has developed into a highly successful model for preventing tractor overturn fatalities. Despite this, expanding the program to provide services to farmers across the US has proved challenging due to the limited availability of financial, human, and other resources. In 2014, the National Tractor Safety Coalition (NTSC) was formed, and came together to develop a strategy for SCALEing up the ROPS Rebate Program and gathering the resources necessary to do so. This presentation will discuss efforts of the NTSC thus far and share plans for translating the ROPS Rebate Program into practice across the US.