Safety education messages without a “real-life” story of a close call, or fatality, are often ignored by farmers.
People who work in agriculture face many health and safety hazards on the farm or ranch, with one of the highest rates of injury and death of any occupation. Safety messages without real-life stories of close calls or fatalities are often ignored by farmers.
The storytellers want to make sure these life-changing incidents don’t happen to anyone else.
Personal stories are easier to relate to and remember than statistics or data summaries – they bring the message home. The Telling the Story Project Project Shares injury prevention messaging and raises farm safety awareness through personal stories and first-hand experiences.
- Media professionals relate to the storytelling approach. The project has been featured in U.S. News & World Report, Midwest PBS and NPR stations, Brownfield Ag Network, RFD-TV, a Sunday editorial in the Omaha World-Herald and numerous other mainstream and agricultural media.
- The project is a collaboration of three NIOSH-funded Agricultural Safety and Health Centers. Collaboration on “Telling the Story” is leading to discussion of closer collaboration in other areas.
- Teachers are broaching the “boring” topic of safety by using discussion guides created by the “Telling the Story” team.
- The project has begun working with MN NAMI to include mental health stories.
LEARN MORE AT TELLINGTHESTORYPROJECT.ORG
The Telling the Story Project website features over a dozen stories from farmers, agricultural workers, family, and community members across the Midwest who’ve been impacted by injuries, fatalities, or close calls.
The Common Thread:
“We don’t want this to happen to anyone else.”
Wide Reach: TTSP stories and reports have reached over 84,000 households in the Midwest and online.- Media Coverage: The project has been featured in major outlets such as U.S. News & World Report, Midwest PBS and NPR stations, Brownfield Ag Network, RFD-TV, and the Omaha World-Herald.
- Educational Impact: Teachers are engaging students in the “boring” topic of safety through discussion guides created by the Telling the Story Project Team. College agricultural communications courses are using the project to learn about safety messaging in the media.
- Advocacy: Storytellers have become advocates for safety policies, including the National ROPS Rebate Program.
- Changing the Conversation: TTSP has played a key role in changing how injuries in agriculture are discussed.
- Model for Safety Messaging: The project, a collaboration of four agricultural safety centers, three of which are funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), has published its model in academic journals to help safety professionals create messages that resonate with the farming community.
Don’t underestimate the power of sharing your own story; it can help others!
“Once reporters hear about ‘Telling the Story Project,’ they will jump on it and make it work for their audience.”
“Storytelling is so important. We hear these safety messages, but when you see someone’s story, it makes you more aware of the consequences.”
“When I have a substitute teacher, I will need curriculum like this discussion guide, and I don’t even have to create it — it is all right here. Thank you so much!”
