Pregnancy and fertility are often not considered when women assume farm tasks. Pesticide and other chemical exposures, zoonotic diseases and heavy lifting particularly during childbearing years, present challenges. This material was produced under grant number SH-05068-SH8 from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. It does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

At the end of the presentation, participants will be able to:

1. Identify unique exposures/risks associated with farm tasks.
2. Identify at least four reproductive health and safety issues for women. 
3. Locate three current evidenced based resources in the field of agricultural health 
4. Develop Hazard Map of work exposures.
5. Select appropriate PPE for farm tasks to reduce or eliminate exposures and or risks.

This material was produced under grant number SH-05068-SH8 from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. It does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. 

This Hazard Communication Standard training program is intended for female workers and managers in the agricultural industry. This includes dairy farms and small farms that hire at-risk populations. The major focus of the program is on the identification of and the safe usage of chemicals and pesticides, along with respiratory protection.

At the conclusion of the training, participants will be able to: 

1. Describe the purpose of OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard (HCS)
2. Explain the basic requirements of the Hazard Communication Standard
3. Differentiate between physical and health hazards of agricultural chemicals
4. Recall the requirements of a written hazard communication program
5. List the components of a hazard communication training program
6. Interpret the information contained in Safety Data Sheets (SDS)
7. Describe the requirements and purpose of hazard warning labels.

This material was produced under grant number SH-05068-SH8 from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. It does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. 

AgriSafe is committed to train safety and health professionals who wish to teach IYH trainings in their classroom. Under our open share platform, once certified, you are free to use the training materials.  Our end goal is to build the capacity of rural educators and leaders to train young workers.  

Invest in Your Health (IYH) consists of five training modules crafted for the agriculture teacher and community leader to seamlessly integrate in their course offerings.  IYH training modules aim to educate, prevent and protect young farmers by providing them with the tools they need to stay safe and healthy.

The training topics that will be discussed included:

1. Say What? Protecting your Hearing
2. Cover Up! Head to Toe Personal Protective Equipment
3. Stay Cool! Prevention of Heat Related Illness
4. Stop Zoonosis it its Tracks- Prevention of Zoonosis
5. Where Y’at-Using Mapping to Define Hazards in Agriculture

The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine released recommendations for opioid prescribing based on safety-sensitive occupations. Safety-sensitive work is typically classified as operating motor vehicles, modes of transportation, other heavy machinery, or tasks requiring high levels of cognitive function or judgment. Farm duties frequently demand the use of heavy machinery, and concurrent use of narcotics alongside safety-sensitive work can be dangerous. This training educates healthcare providers on how to assess occupational agricultural risks and corresponding patient guidance for those who are taking opioid medications.

By the end of the webinar, participants will be able to: 

1. Identify what classifies as a safety-sensitive occupation and why
2. Describe the dangers involved with prescription opioid use and safety-sensitive occupations
3. Understand how best to discuss with patients who have safety-sensitive occupations alternatives to prescription opioids
4. Identify best practices for naloxone prescribing and use in a rural or agricultural setting
5. Discuss implications of medication assisted therapies for Opioid Use Disorder in safety-sensitive occupations

Sponsored by:

This project was supported by the FY17 USDA NIFA Rural Health and Safety Education Competitive Grants Program of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA, Grant # 2017-46100-27225 and the FY18 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Rural Opioids Technical Assistance Grants (ROTA) # TI-18-022

It has been over 25 years since participants first enrolled in the Agricultural Health Study (AHS) cohort; in 1993-97, a total of 89,655 individuals joined the study, including 52,394 private pesticide applicators (mostly farmers) and 32,345 of their spouses from North Carolina and Iowa, and 4,916 commercial applicators from Iowa. The cohort has been followed through 3 surveys (1999-2003, 2005-2010, and 2012-2015) and regular linkages to databases to assess both cancer and non-cancer health outcomes, such as respiratory, autoimmune, endocrine, and neurological diseases. Participants provided detailed data on pesticide use and other agricultural exposures at enrollment and in the first two follow-up surveys, and numerous research papers have investigated potential disease associations. Many participants have also contributed to special studies, including recent projects on Lung Health, Biomarkers of Exposure and Effect, and Memory and Aging. This presentation will highlight a selection of recent findings from the AHS (i.e., in the past 5 years), including a focus on non-cancer outcomes as well as recent cancer and mortality findings, and will describe current and future research priorities.

At the end of this webinar participants will be able to:

1.  An overview of the study design and the assessment of exposures and health outcomes
2. Scope of research and selected findings on non-cancer health outcomes
3. Highlights of recent mortality and cancer findings
4. Description of current and future research priorities

It is no secret - women are playing an increased role in production agriculture. They account for about one-third of the management, ownership and work on farms, ranches and in crop production. A major challenge continues to be access to protective equipment that meets the ergonomic needs of women. This program is intended to help women in rural/agricultural communities identify ergonomic issues leading to musculoskeletal injuries in farm and ranch work and discover resources to aid in injury prevention.

At the end of the presentation, participants will be able to:

1. Identify work site hazards and potential musculoskeletal injuries.
2. Identify wellness initiatives aimed at reducing risks related to musculoskeletal injuries.
3. Locate three current evidenced based resources in the field of agricultural health and safety that address ergonomic safety.
4. Utilize the individual AgHRA to look at current exposures and preventive methods for daily farm tasks. 

This material was produced under grant number SH-05068-SH8 from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. It does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. 

The AgriSafe Nurse Scholar program is a distance learning opportunity available to rural nurses. Education and training, provided by experienced health & safety educators will enable rural nurses to increase their knowledge base in prevention, identification and assessment of diseases related to agricultural work exposures. Nurses who complete this course will be eligible for 18 hours of continuing nursing education. 

Classes are typically  held 1 to 2 times weekly at noon Central Time.The Nurse Scholar program provides flexibility in scheduling out time to earn your CNE contact hours. Classes are in the form of webinars that can be viewed live or OnDemand (your own time).  If you are unable to attend a live event, all classes are recorded and are available for you to view at your leisure. If you would like to see a list of all webinar dates and topics, click on the content tab.

The course will start September 4, 2019 and finish by December 12, 2019 (participants can take the final exam starting on December 5 but must have it completed by December 12).

Training topics include: Integration of Ag Health into Practice, Special Populations (youth, older adults, immigrant and migrant workers), Zoonotic Diseases, Hearing Conservation, Chemical/Pesticide Exposures, Women's Health, Respiratory Health, Ergonomics, Personal Protective Equipment, Skin Disorders, Behavioral Health, and Emerging and Regional Issues.

***Attention Nurses***

Nurses working in a rural health clinic or for a non-profit organization may be eligible for a discounted rate for this course. Please email Ansley (astpierre@agrisafe.org) your name, email address, Employer name, job title, and employer website address. Ansley will send you a discount code to use at registration.

***Attention Nurses*** Nurses working in a rural health clinic or for a non-profit organization may be eligible for a discounted rate for this course. Please email Ansley (astpierre@agrisafe.org) your name, email address, Employer name, job title, and employer website address. Ansley will send you a discount code to use at registration.

To see a list of the 2019 Nurse Scholar topic titles and course objectives for each presentation: 

Join us as we look at the topics and sessions included in the Child Agricultural Injury Prevention Workshop, which will be held on September 17-18, 2019 in Hershey PA.

We will explore how often these injuries (and fatalities) occur, and why it’s important that we work together to prevent them from occurring. We will also preview how participants develop an injury prevention program during the workshop, including accessing funds to support your efforts. Information will also be shared on scholarship opportunities to help offset the costs of the workshop.

The AgriSafe “Invest In Your Health” session is also being offered as part of this workshop, at no additional charge. Participants will receive all the materials needed to run their own CAIP program. Three topics (zoonotic diseases, hazard mapping and heat/sun safety) are introduced at the workshop, and access to information and resources is provided for two more.  

This workshop is ideal for farm organizations, insurance professionals, agribusiness, bankers and lenders, healthcare providers, Extension, FFA Advisors, public health officials, media and more. Scholarship support is available.

Stress and anxiety over things we have no control over can overwhelm us to the point where we have no energy left to focus on the things we do have control over. Being 5% healthier may not seem like much of an improvement however, it's still better than the alternative which is no improvement. That often times turns into a worse-case scenario. Ted will emphasize simple tools to help break the stagnant cycle and how to strengthen family bonds during times of crisis. 

Rural healthcare providers and safety professionals have an important role to play in supporting people experiencing stress or mental health challenges. Come listen as Ted Matthews talks about what we can do to be proactive and prepare ahead of crisis. Ted understands the demands farmers face because he counsels farmers in a plethora of areas from crisis intervention to helping farmers relate to their families and workers to better utilize their resources.  If you’re a rural health professional looking to integrate mental health counseling in your care, take time to listen to Ted’s experiences.  He will help you rethink your approach to providing mental health support.  

This webinar is sponsored in part by:

Prescription opioids are often the first-line therapy to treat chronic and acute pain among farmers. Prescribing opioids to farmer populations that may not seek regular treatment or have access to alternative therapies increases the risk for potential opioid misuse. Properly assessing for these characteristics among other abuse or addiction risk factors, is critical in providing treatment that is both appropriate and effective. The training module will seek to provide insight on misuse risk factors among farmers to better inform healthcare providers on warning signs in this specific cohort.

By the end of the webinar, participants will be able to: 

1. List potential risk factors for opioid misuse among farmers.
2. Understand proper opioid misuse assessment strategies.
3. Identify effective alternatives for treating chronic and acute pain among farmers

Sponsored by:

This project was supported by the FY17 USDA NIFA Rural Health and Safety Education Competitive Grants Program of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA, Grant # 2017-46100-27225 and the FY18 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Rural Opioids Technical Assistance Grants (ROTA) # TI-18-022