NCERA_OLD197: Agricultural Safety and Health Research and Extension
(Multistate Research Coordinating Committee and Information Exchange Group)
Status: Inactive/Terminating
NCERA_OLD197: Agricultural Safety and Health Research and Extension
Duration: 10/01/2010 to 09/30/2015
Administrative Advisor(s):
NIFA Reps:
Non-Technical Summary
Statement of Issues and Justification
The most hazardous industry in the U.S. is Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing with a work death rate that is eight times higher than the all-industry average (NSC, 2009). The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries database suggests that production agriculture accounts for over 75% (447) of the 585 work deaths attributed to the Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing industry in 2007 (U.S. DOL BLS, 2009). State-level data suggest that the actual number of deaths associated with farming is higher because youth, who may be as young as two years old, that are fatally injured from exposure to farm work hazards are not counted in national statistics (Murphy & Kassab, 2006; NSC, 2009).
Initiated in 2000 the NCR197 committee developed a strategy to utilize the Land Grant System's research and extension capacity in cooperation with the experience of those who live and work in agriculture to reduce work-related injuries, illness, and death. This group produced a National Land Grant Research and Extension Agenda for Agricultural Safety and Health: National Agenda for Action (Committee on Agricultural Safety and Health Research and Extension, 2003) document. This national agenda provides a prioritized list of 12 research and extension areas with 115 individual topics relating to agricultural safety and health in which research or extension gaps exist. This historical document marks the first agricultural safety and health agenda for action by the land grant system since 1943 when the first cooperative extension specialist for farm safety was appointed in Wisconsin. The national agenda document has been used by the Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing (AgFF) Sector Council of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) as a resource document for their National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) plans, and the Agricultural Safety & Health Council of America (ASHCA) as a resource document. Additionally, the Canadian government used this document as the foundation for their agricultural safety strategic plan.
In 2005, the NCR 197 committee was re-appointed under the revised name North Central Education/Extension Research Activity Committee (NCERA) 197. This committee selected Agricultural Equipment on Public Roads, one of the 12 priorities in the national land grant research and extension agenda for agricultural safety and health, and produced a 48 page white paper to: a) help identify research, policy and extension/outreach priorities for the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Transportation, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, state departments of agriculture, transportation and law enforcement, county governments, and production agriculture based organizations; and b) identify possible design and practice standards, goals, or guidelines for farm equipment manufacturers, standard setting organizations, and government agencies (Committee on Agricultural Safety and Health Research and Extension, 2009). This document has been distributed widely across the U.S and Canada, featured at a major conference on crashes between motor vehicles and farm equipment and has been used as a reference by a legislative task force.
As a second priority, NCERA-197 has selected to next focus on the topics of agricultural confined spaces . Based upon activities related to the development of the original NCERA-197 research and extension agenda, it was determined that there existed significant research gaps with respect to needed engineering, educational, and legislative controls designed to reduce the frequency and severity of confined spaces-related incidents in agricultural workplaces.
Based upon available data, much of which is incomplete, over 700 cases of fatal and partial entrapments have been documented over the past 30 years in grain storage and handling facilities (Roberts, 2009) and over 100 fatal and non-fatal incidents have been documented in livestock waste handling and storage operations (Beaver, 2007). In addition, fatalities have been documented in other forms of confined spaces including silos, chemical storage tanks, transport vehicles, fermentation tanks and bulk milk tanks. It is estimated that 25-40 confined spaces-related fatalities occur annually in agricultural operations, including off-farm processing and storage sites.
Currently, most agricultural production workers and sites are exempt from having to comply with OSHA confined spaces regulations, including 29 CFR 1910.146 that covers permit-required confined spaces and 29 CFR 1910.272 covering grain handling and storage facilities (U.S. DOL OSHA, 2009). Both of these standards includes provisions designed to prevent access to spaces that contain insufficient oxygen levels, flammable gases and vapors, and potential toxic environments; and mandating safe confined spaces rescue procedures. In addition, there are no specific engineering design practice consensus standards in place that cover agricultural confined spaces with the exception of an engineering practice standard for manure storage facilities developed following the death of 5 workers on a Michigan dairy farm (citation). A review of extension-related resources identified few widely used educational tools with the exception of information on recommended rescue strategies (NRAES-10, 1999 Revision).
It is proposed that NCERA-197 would: a) summarize the research literature, engineering needs and outreach opportunities related to agricultural confined space hazards and risks; b) convene a national conference on this topic; c) encourage more research and outreach by land grant universities to reduce hazards and risks of agricultural confined spaces; and d) encourage increased standards activity by ASABE to reduce hazards and risks of agricultural confined spaces.
At least one additional topic identified in the National Land Grant Research and Extension Agenda for Agricultural Safety and Health: National Agenda for Action document will be selected for addressing by the NCERA 197 committee. Additionally, the committee will work to increase infrastructure support for agricultural safety and health at land grant universities through several focused activities.
Objectives
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Develop a white paper that addresses topics such as: nature and types of agricultural confined space structures and facilities; frequency & severity of agricultural confined space injury incidents; past and current research on agricultural confined space safety issues; engineering and technology challenges and opportunities for reducing agricultural confined space exposures and injury incidents; current and future agricultural confined space education and training efforts and needs; policy needs to address the injury risk associated with agricultural confined spaces; identify and prioritize future agricultural confined space safety research and education.
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Collaborate with other organizations (e.g., NIOSH Ag Centers, ASHCA, ASABE, NIFS) to sponsor a national conference focused on safety and health issues associated with agricultural confined spaces.
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Encourage research and outreach at Land Grant universities that utilizes their expertise in addressing safety and health issues associated with agricultural confined spaces.
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Encourage new and improved American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineering standards to reduce hazard and risk exposures associated with agricultural confined spaces.
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Identify the next high priority topic from the National Agenda for Action document to be addressed by the committee.
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Work to increase infrastructure support for agricultural safety and health within the land grant system by: expanding the research and extension component related to agricultural safety and health within the land grant system; providing land grant researchers and educators assistance in prioritizing agricultural safety and health issues; maintaining a current inventory of ongoing research and extension activities being conducted by various components of the land grant system; providing appropriate recognition of land grant system researchers and educators who are addressing critical agricultural safety and health issues; and pressing the need for additional funding to be allocated to agricultural safety and health issues.
Procedures and Activities
The NCERA-197 committee will create a supportive environment for agricultural confined spaces topics by widely communicating our proposal and attracting needed expertise to the committee. An organizational meeting will be held early in the first year of the project. Activities for Objective 1 will include literature searches of databases of USDA-NIFA CRIS, the ASABE Technical Library, ASABE Standards, OSHA Standards, NIFS Technical Papers, MEDLINE, NIOSH FACE Reports, Purdue Universitys Farm Injury Database, and other similar databases for information pertinent to agricultural confined spaces. Land Grant university professionals and others who have specialization in various aspects of agricultural confined spaces will be identified and asked to author one or more white papers on the selected topics. A milestone will be the production of one or more white papers or similar documents on agricultural confined spaces.
Procedures and activities for Objective 2 will include working with NIOSH Ag Centers, ASHCA, ASABE, NIFS, and industry organizations to develop and sponsor a national conference that addresses the issues and needs identified in the work from Objective 1. Funds will be sought to help defray conference costs. A milestone will be the conduct of a well attended national conference on agricultural confined spaces. Procedures and activities for objective 2 will include working with the partners identified above to published conference proceedings, present conference findings at other national meetings of interested parties, and development of educational programs and resources for addressing major agricultural confined space issues. Milestones for Objective 3 will be publishing a conference proceedings and/or journal articles, and development of new research projects and outreach educational programs. Procedures and activities for Objective 4 will include working with ASABE and other appropriate partners to develop industry standards to mitigate through design and standard operating procedures hazards and risks associated with agricultural confined spaces. A milestone for Objective 4 will be the existence of one or more Standards Development Committee(s) that are addressing hazards and risks associated with agricultural confined spaces.
Procedures and activities for Objective 5 will include reaching committee consensus on identifying the next priority topic from the National Agenda for Action document to be addressed by the committee, identifying a committee leader for the topic, developing an operational plan, identifying and recruiting appropriate expertise as needed, and begin executing the plan. Procedures and activities for Objective 6 include identifying leaders for the objective, developing an operational plan, and begin executing the plan.
Expected Outcomes and Impacts
- A summary of the research literature, engineering needs and outreach opportunities related to agricultural confined space hazards and risks will be produced and distributed.
- The development of a supportive environment for information exchange concerning hazards and risk associated with agricultural confined spaces increases the potential for collaboration and assists in generating a wider distribution of programming efforts.
- A national conference will bring attention and focus to a major agricultural hazard that is not well understood.
- Research, standards and educational programs that diminish hazards and risks related to agricultural confined spaces will reduce fatalities and serious injury.
- Another high priority hazard topic will have been identified and resources to address this hazard topic will have been assembled.
- Mechanisms to increase infrastructure support for agricultural safety and health will be identified and operationalized.
Projected Participation
View Appendix E: ParticipationEducational Plan
This committee, established in 2000, has a superb record of exchange of research and educational programming information through its annual meetings, publications, news releases and websites. The group has also used opportunities such as open forums, concurrent educational programs, and invited presentations at professional meeting to distribute information. Emphasis will be placed on distributing current products of activities relating to agricultural confined spaces, other identified hazard topics, infrastructure support and enhancing the distribution of available information allowing for better awareness.
Organization/Governance
There will be two officers for NCERA-197. A secretary and chair will be elected every two years at the appropriate annual meeting. The secretary records and distributes minutes of the annual meeting, and then becomes chair of the committee for the following two years. The chair directs the activities of the committee, serves as the liaison between the committee and the administrative advisor, and makes arrangements for the next annual meeting.
Literature Cited
Beaver RL, Field WE. 2007. Summary of documented fatalities in livestock manure storage and handling facilities-1975-2004. Journal of Agromedicine, 12(2): 3-23.
Committee on Agricultural Safety and Health Research and Extension. 2003. National land grant research and extension agenda for agricultural safety and health. Iowa State University, Reference No. EDC-292. Ames, Iowa: Iowa State University. 18 pp. Accessible at http://www.tmvc.iastate.edu/NCR197/.
Committee on Agricultural Safety and Health Research and Extension. 2009. Agricultural Equipment on Public Roads. USDA-CSREES, Washington, DC. Accessible at http://www.csrees.usda.gov/about/white_papers/pdfs/ag_equipment.pdf.
Murphy DJ, Kassab C. 2006. Pennsylvania Farm Fatalities During 2000-2004. College of Agricultural Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University. 16 pp.
National Safety Council, Injury Facts. 2009 edition, NSC Itasca, IL.
NRAES-10, 1999 Revision. Farm Rescue: Responding to Incidents and Emergencies in Agricultural Settings. Revised by WE Field. Ithaca, NY: Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering service (NRAES). 78 pp.
Roberts M., Deboy GR, Field WE, Maier DE. 2009. Summary of Prior Grain Entrapment Rescue Strategies. Paper No. 09-16. National Institute for Farm Safety Summer Conference, New Orleans, LA. June 14-18.
U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Current and Revised Data, 2007 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (revised data). 2009. Accessible at http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfoi1.htm.
U.S. Department of Labor, Code of Federal Regulations, Occupational Safety & Health Standards. 2009. OSHA Standard 1910.146 -- Permit-required confined spaces and 1910.272 -- Grain handling facilities. Accessible at http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owasrch.search_form?p_doc_type=STANDARDS&p_toc_level=1&p_keyvalue=1910.