Tag: #farmers

National Farm Safety and Health Week set for Sept. 18-24

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

First published by Safety+Health an NSC publication

NFSHW-2022.jpg

Photo: National Education Center for Agricultural Safety

Peosta, IA — A series of daily webinars is planned for National Farm Safety and Health Week, scheduled for Sept. 18-24.

The theme of the 79th annual event is “Protecting Agriculture’s Future.” Around 100 agricultural workers suffer a lost-work-time injury every day in the United States, says the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, citing NIOSH data.

The 10 free webinars will focus on the health and safety of people working in agriculture. The event will feature daily themes:
Sept. 19: Tractor and rural roadway safety
Sept. 20: Suicide prevention, and heat and wildfire smoke exposure
Sept. 21: Safety and health for youth
Sept. 22: Grain bin safety and confined spaces
Sept. 23: Safety and health for women

National Farm Safety and Health Week has taken place the third week of September every year since 1944, when the National Safety Council coordinated the project. The National Education Center for Agricultural Safety at Northeast Iowa Community College’s Peosta campus later took control of developing and disseminating each year’s campaign materials.

McCraren Compliance assists employers in protecting their workers, starting with a comprehensive Work-site Analysis, Hazard Prevention, Controls, and Safety & Health Training.

Please contact us today at 888-758-4757 to learn how we can provide mine safety training and consulting for your business.

New website offers health and safety resources for farmers and ranchers

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

First published by Safety+Health an NSC publication

Photo property of AgriSafe Health 

Covington, LA — Helping farmers and ranchers navigate occupational risks and providing information on health and safety issues is the goal of the AgriSafe Health Hub, a new website.

Launched by the AgriSafe Network, an international nonprofit representing health and safety professionals, the website combines the organization’s learning management system, which includes fact sheets, webinars and safety information, with health topics such as COVID-19, heat-related illness, opioids and mental health.

“Finding trusted health information can be difficult, especially when you need information specifically for the occupational hazards associated with farming,” Sarah Dauterive, web technologies librarian at AgriSafe, said in a press release. “This new space serves as a hub for the people working in agriculture to find specific information to their needs, both from AgriSafe and our trusted partners.”

According to the release, which cites data from NIOSH, agriculture ranks among the most hazardous industries. Recent statistics show that about 100 agricultural workers suffer a lost-work-time injury each day.

McCraren Compliance assists employers in protecting their workers, starting with a comprehensive Work-site Analysis, Hazard Prevention, Controls, and Safety & Health Training.

Please contact us today at 888-758-4757 to learn how we can provide mine safety training and consulting for your business.

 

National Farm Safety and Health Week set for Sept. 19-25

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
First published by Safety+Health an NSC publication
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Photo: University of Minnesota

Peosta, IA — A series of daily webinars is planned for National Farm Safety and Health Week, scheduled to take place Sept. 19-25.

The theme of the 78th annual event is “Farm Safety Yields Real Results,” a reminder that safety is a vital part of agriculture, according to a press release from the AgriSafe Network, an international nonprofit representing health and safety professionals.

The 10 free webinars will focus on topics relative to agricultural health and safety pros, health care providers, producers, and farmworkers. The event will feature daily themes as well:
Sept. 20: Tractor Safety & Rural Roadway Safety
Sept. 21: Overall Farmer Health
Sept. 22: Safety & Health for Youth in Agriculture
Sept. 23: Agricultural Fertilizer & Chemical Safety
Sept. 24: Safety & Health for Women in Agriculture

National Farm Safety and Health Week has taken place during the third week of September every year since 1944, when the National Safety Council coordinated the project. The National Education Center for Agricultural Safety at Northeast Iowa Community College’s Peosta campus later took control of developing and disseminating each year’s campaign materials.

According to 2018 data from NIOSH, around 2 million full-time workers were employed in production agriculture. Every day, about 100 agricultural workers suffer an injury that results in lost work time.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

With farmers and ranchers under stress, safety group develops mental health network

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

First published by Safety+Health an NSC publication

Peosta, IA — In response to a variety of stressors that continue to affect farmers and ranchers during the COVID-19 pandemic, the nonprofit AgriSafe Network has developed a mental health initiative intended to distribute resources and training materials aimed at mitigating stress.

“Farmers and ranchers deal with a lot of uncertainty in a good year,” AgriSafe says. “Add to that current low commodity prices, trade wars, extreme weather and now a pandemic. Coping with the stress of everything happening around us is not easy.”

The Center for the Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace identifies multiple potential signs of work-related stress, including:

  • Fatigue
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Workplace incidents
  • Workplace violence
  • Anxiety or irritability
  • Alcohol or drug use

“Good health, including mental health, is a key factor that contributes to one’s ability to keep farming,” AgriSafe says.

McCraren Compliance assists employers in protecting their workers, starting with a comprehensive Work-site Analysis, Hazard Prevention, Controls, and Safety & Health Training.

Please contact us today at 888-758-4757 to learn how we can provide mine safety training and consulting for your business.

Half of confined-space ag incidents last year were fatal

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

First published by Safety+Health an NSC publication.

See the source image

West Lafayette, IN — At least 64 incidents involving confined spaces in the agriculture industry were documented in 2020, and half were fatal, according to an annual report recently released by Purdue University.

The 32 deaths are more than confined space fatalities reported in the mining industry (29) last year. Of the agricultural deaths, 20 involved grain entrapment. Falls, entanglement in grain-handling equipment and asphyxiation/poisoning each contributed to three deaths, while the causes of the three remaining cases were classified as “other.”

The university’s agricultural and biological engineering department has investigated and documented incidents involving grain storage and handling facilities since the 1970s. According to its records, around 60% of incidents involving agricultural confined spaces have resulted in a fatality.

The report, citing a 2013 study, notes that because many agricultural facilities aren’t covered by OSHA injury and illness reporting requirements, around 30% of cases go unreported or undocumented.

“The number of documented fatal cases continues to be higher than the number of nonfatal cases for all confined space incidents, further suggesting an underreporting of nonfatal incidents,” the report states.

Illinois, with 17, led all states with the most documented cases of agricultural confined space incidents – nonfatal and fatal. Next were Minnesota and North Dakota, each with seven.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.