Noise in Agriculture: An Overlooked Occupational Hazard

Live Webinar: Tuesday, Sept 22 - 1pm - 2pm Central Time

Agricultural workers experience some of the highest rates of occupational noise exposure in the United States, yet hearing conservation has received far less attention in agriculture than in other high-risk industries. This webinar will review current evidence on noise exposure and hearing loss among agricultural workers, with a particular focus on field workers in the US Southwest, an underserved and often overlooked population. Participants will learn about common sources of hazardous noise in agricultural settings, challenges to implementing hearing protection programs, and emerging research on culturally and contextually appropriate interventions. The presentation will also highlight findings from recent studies conducted among farmworkers in the U.S.–Mexico border region and discuss opportunities for improving hearing health through education, policy, and workplace-level prevention strategies.

Intended Audience: Agricultural safety and health professionals, occupational health practitioners, farm owners and managers, extension personnel, agricultural educators, community health workers, researchers, public health professionals, clinicians, policymakers, and others interested in improving the health and safety of agricultural workers.

Speaker: Laura Coco, PhD, AuD Assistant Professor, San Diego State University