CE/CEU

Webinars from National Farm Safety and Health Week 2024

Check out all of the webinars offered during National Farm Safety and Health Week 2024

NFSHW26 More than FEMA: Building True Rural Disaster Resilience

Live Webinar: Thursday, September 24 - 3pm - 4pm Central Time"More than FEMA: Building True Rural Disaster Resilience" is a 45-minute presentation by Ian Costello designed to shift the focus of agricultural and rural stakeholders from reliance on FEMA toward proactive, community-led disaster preparedness. By debunking the myth that disaster recovery is primarily a federal responsibility, the session introduces the "Chain of Recovery" framework, clarifying the roles of individuals and local and state leadership while demystifying FEMA’s legal constraints. The presentation emphasizes building local resilience through under-utilized resources—such as USDA programs, NGO support, and peer-to-peer networks—to equip attendees with actionable strategies for securing their communities long before a disaster strikes.Intended Audience: Agricultural health/safety professionals, Extension staff, rural community leaders, and farmers.Speaker:Ian Costello, MSEMKeswick Village Community Resilience Coalition, Founder

NFSHW24: Training Future Generations of Farmers through Registered Apprenticeship

Summary: The agriculture industry faces a shortage of skilled farmers with many experienced farmers nearing retirement age. We will highlight how farmers can utilize Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs) to train the next generation of farmers, combining classroom and online learning with hands-on experience on working farms. Intended Audience: Business owners, HR staff, Ag educators, workforce boardsPresenter: Abigail Allen, M.Ed., Program Specialist with the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship in Region 6and Victoria Cosentino, Program Analyst, Office of Apprenticeship at the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration The University of Cincinnati, Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, Education and Research Center offers 1.0 contact hour for each webinar during National Farm Safety and Health Week. Upon completing the evaluation, learners will receive a certificate of completion. This course can meet continuing education requirements for a variety of professionals including: BGC criteria for IH/CIH professionals, BCSP criteria for safety professionals, CPH criteria for public health professionals.

NFSHW24: Causes of Oxygen Deficiency, Confined Space, and Toxic Fumes Identified in the OSHA Accident Database

Summary: This webinar presents an in-depth analysis of records from the OSHA Accident Database, focusing on incidents coded as “Oxygen Deficiency,” “Confined Space,” and “Toxic Fume” from January 1, 2014, to May 23, 2024. The presentation will identify trends, common causes, and effective preventive measures for these hazardous conditions. Through a detailed examination of these records, the webinar provides critical insights into the factors contributing to oxygen deficiency, dangers within confined spaces, and the presence of toxic fumes in workplaces. The findings highlight the importance of targeted safety interventions to protect workers’ health and enhance workplace safety. Key trends and preventive strategies will be discussed to help industries implement effective measures against these hazards. Intended Audience: Safety and Health Professionals, Industrial and Manufacturing Managers, Regulatory Compliance Officers, Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Consultants, Emergency Responders, Human Resources Professionals, Labor Union RepresentativesPresenter: Chiemezie Anthony Udemba, MS and Jerry Purswell, PhD, CPEThe University of Cincinnati, Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, Education and Research Center offers 1.0 contact hour for each webinar during National Farm Safety and Health Week. Upon completing the evaluation, learners will receive a certificate of completion. This course can meet continuing education requirements for a variety of professionals including: BGC criteria for IH/CIH professionals, BCSP criteria for safety professionals, CPH criteria for public health professionals.

NFSHW24: Grain Related Entrapment: Are We Focusing on the Right Problem?

Summary: A review of the literature related to the problem of grain related entrapments and engulfments clearly suggests that the most effective response is to focus on rescuing workers once entrapped. The evidence shows that this approach is both inconsistent with the data and has generated little progress in reducing the frequency and severity of these incidents. After summarizing over 1,200 of these incidents, of which approximately 60% resulted in fatalities, the findings clearly show that the problem is not entrapment due to the flowing grain, but rather the documented presence of out-of-condition or spoiled grain that becomes a barrier to removal of grain from storage. Though not as popular as conducting a grain rescue class for emergency first responders, enhancing the knowledge and skills of grain producers to maintain high quality grain will not only reduce entrapment incidents, but will improve profitability for the producer. This webinar will address the well-documented relationship between the presence of out-of-condition grain and the increased probability of grain-related entrapment. Methods for safe removal of out-of-condition grain will also be addressed.Intended Audience: Agricultural safety and health professionals, emergency first responders, agricultural workers, grain storage and handling personnelPresenter: Bill Field, PhD, Professor, Purdue University, Extension Safety Leader, Purdue Cooperative Extension ServiceThe University of Cincinnati, Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, Education and Research Center offers 1.0 contact hour for each webinar during National Farm Safety and Health Week. Upon completing the evaluation, learners will receive a certificate of completion. This course can meet continuing education requirements for a variety of professionals including: BGC criteria for IH/CIH professionals, BCSP criteria for safety professionals, CPH criteria for public health professionals.

NFSHW24: It Pays to Talk Safety in Ag!

Summary: A recent publication has estimated that agricultural injuries are underreported by an astonishing 70%. This webinar will discuss the challenges, barriers, and unintended consequences for suppressing injury reporting in the agricultural workforce. We will also take a look at “good” and “bad” safety incentive programs and how to encourage the workforce to talk about incidents, fostering a positive safety culture. Intended Audience: Agricultural employers (any size, but will be most relevant to employers with 10+ employees) Presenter: Sheri Saskowski, BS, BA, CSP, Safety Manager, Wyffels HybridsThe University of Cincinnati, Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, Education and Research Center offers 1.0 contact hour for each webinar during National Farm Safety and Health Week. Upon completing the evaluation, learners will receive a certificate of completion. This course can meet continuing education requirements for a variety of professionals including: BGC criteria for IH/CIH professionals, BCSP criteria for safety professionals, CPH criteria for public health professionals.

NFSHW24: Using a Novel App Prototype to Assess Heat Stress Risk Among Outdoor Workers

Summary: Wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) index is the preferred environmental heat metric for heat-related illness (HRI) prevention in the workplace and is typically measured using a heat stress monitor. Measuring the on-site WBGT with a heat stress monitor provides the most accurate localized assessment of a worker’s environmental heat exposure. However, WBGT data may not always be easily accessible for worksite heat stress evaluation.The OSHA-NIOSH Heat Safety Tool, a mobile app that provides current and forecasted heat index and its corresponding risk, has been considered as an alternative tool for assessing environmental heat metrics in the workplace but was found to be inaccurate in assessing high and extreme heat stress risks at any workload type. Thus, there is still a need for alternative WBGT-based tools, such as well-designed mobile apps, that are more accessible and cheaper for HRI prevention among outdoor workers. A novel web app prototype was developed at East Carolina University to calculate the current and forecasted WBGT index for a specific location as a promising tool for HRI prevention among outdoor workers, but it has not been tested for accuracy. This course intends to explain the findings of a research study that assessed the reliability of a WBGT app prototype in providing accurate heat stress risk information for outdoor workers in eastern North Carolina. Intended Audience: This course is intended for farmworkers and other outdoor workers, farmers and other outdoor worker supervisors and managers, and occupational health and safety professionals.Presenter: Jo Anne G. Balanay, PhD, CIH, Professor, East Carolina UniversityThe University of Cincinnati, Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, Education and Research Center offers 1.0 contact hour for each webinar during National Farm Safety and Health Week. Upon completing the evaluation, learners will receive a certificate of completion. This course can meet continuing education requirements for a variety of professionals including: BGC criteria for IH/CIH professionals, BCSP criteria for safety professionals, CPH criteria for public health professionals.

Webinars from National Farm Safety and Health Week 2025

View all the recordings from National Farm Safety and Health Week 2025.

NFSHW26 Cancer Knowledge, Exposure Beliefs, and Prevention Behaviors: Insights from Iowa's Agricultural Communities

Live Webinar: Friday, September 25 - 1pm to 2pm Central TimeMany agricultural hazards are also modifiable cancer risk factors, so the promotion of safe behaviors on the farm can be considered a form of cancer prevention, even if cancer is never explicitly mentioned. This presentation shares findings from University of Iowa Agricultural Safety and Health research that assessed perceptions of cancer risk factors, concerns related to occupational exposures, sources of cancer information, and engagement in cancer risk reduction behaviors among people living and working in agriculture in Iowa.Intended Audience: Anyone living and/or working in agricultural settings, rural health professionalsPresenter: Caroline Powell, MS, Environmental Outreach Coordinator, Iowa Cancer Consortium

NFSHW26 Boots, Bales, Biopsies: Women's Health on the Farm

Live Webinar: Friday, September 25 - 11am to 12pm Central TimeRural dwelling individuals faces some of the highest cancer rates, and Rural women -often the gate keepers of health in their homes - play a powerful role in changing that story. Boots, Bales, and Biopsies is a down-to-earth, empowering session designed specifically for women in agriculture. We’ll cover what every rural woman needs to know about cancer prevention and early detection.Intended Audience: Rural WomenPresenter: Hannah Guenther, MS, MPH, Rural Health Extension Educator, Nebraska Extension

NFSHW24: Three-Step Process to Farm Succession Planning

Summary: Research shows that working with other family members and succession planning are top stressors for farmers. This presentation will provide an overview of common barriers to planning for the next generation of owners/managers for family-owned farms. It will discuss recent research on what service professionals need from the owners to better serve their succession planning needs. Kirkpatrick will provide practical tools that those supporting farmers can use to get the important and hard conversations started at the farm/family level. The three-step process provides a framework that farm members can follow and break down into smaller action steps. It blends practical, technical steps with ideas to address the emotional and personal dynamics that can derail succession planning. Intended Audience: Anyone who wants to learn about the human side of farm succession planning and learn about tools and strategies to help farmers start important conversations. (Extension educators, agricultural service professionals, mental healthcare providers, healthcare providers) Presenter: Joy Kirkpatrick, MS, Farm Succession Outreach Specialist, University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension The University of Cincinnati, Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, Education and Research Center offers 1.0 contact hour for each webinar during National Farm Safety and Health Week. Upon completing the evaluation, learners will receive a certificate of completion. This course can meet continuing education requirements for a variety of professionals including: BGC criteria for IH/CIH professionals, BCSP criteria for safety professionals, CPH criteria for public health professionals.

NFSHW26 The Cost of Fatigue in Agriculture: Practical Solutions to Protect Workers and Increase Productivity

Live Webinar: Tuesday, September 22 - 3pm - 4pm Central TimeFatigue among agricultural workers is a significant yet underrecognized occupational health and safety hazard, with important implications for injury risk, productivity, and long-term health outcomes. Agricultural workers are particularly vulnerable to fatigue due to a combination of factors, including long work hours, irregular schedules, inadequate sleep duration and quality, physically demanding tasks, exposure to environmental stressors such as extreme heat and cold, and ongoing mental stressors. This presentation will review the science of healthy (“good”) sleep and examine the relationships between fatigue and injury and fatality risks, as well as acute and chronic health effects. It will also explore the economic burden of fatigue in agricultural settings. Finally, practical mitigation and prevention strategies will be presented, with a focus on interventions that can be implemented at the individual, clinical, and industry levels to reduce fatigue and improve worker health, safety, and productivity.Intended Audience: Agricultural producers, workers, managers, healthcare providers, and safety professionals.Speaker: Ellen Duysen, MPH, COHC Research Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Public Health, Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health

NFSHW26 These Shared Roads: Using Stories in Rural Roadway Safety Education

Live Webinar: Monday, September 21 - 1pm - 2pm Central TimeDuring this presentation, we will show a (<10-minute) new testimonial video featuring a family who lost their dad to a tractor/motor vehicle collision. The presentation will describe the benefits to using stories in rural roadway outreach and education. Strategies and best practices will be described and there will be built-in opportunities for audience engagement.Intended Audience: The intended audience is anyone who uses rural roadways and/or performs rural roadway outreach and education. Speaker: Amanda Wickman, MBA; Assistant Research Scientist for Texas A&M Transportation Institute

NFSHW26 Confined Space Safety in Agriculture

Live Webinar: Thursday, Sept 24 - 11am - 12pm Central TimeAgricultural confined spaces, such as grain bins, silos, manure pits, and storage tanks, present unique and often life-threatening hazards. This presentation provides farmers, agricultural workers, supervisors, and safety professionals with the knowledge needed to identify confined space dangers, understand regulatory requirements, and implement safe work practices. Participants will learn about atmospheric hazards, engulfment risks, lockout/tagout procedures, emergency response considerations, and effective rescue planning. Through real-world case studies and practical prevention strategies, attendees will gain the tools necessary to reduce risks, protect workers, and prevent confined space incidents on agricultural operations.Intended Audience: This session is ideal for producers, farm managers, agricultural employees, extension educators, emergency responders, and anyone involved in agricultural safety and health.Speaker:Dan NeenanDirector- National Education Center for Agricultural Safety

NFSHW26 CALM Conversations on Access to Lethal Means

Live Webinar: Tuesday, September 22 - 11am - 12pm Central TimeCALM Conversations on Access to Lethal Means is a suicide prevention training that encourages the safe storage of lethal means (firearms and medications) during a suicidal crisis. By temporarily putting time and distance between a suicidal person and highly lethal means, a life may be saved. CALM: Counseling on Access to Lethal Means was originally created as a workshop designed for mental health professionals. Conversations on Access to Lethal Means were developed for communities because everyone can benefit from this training. This training is not anti-gun or anti-drug and is designed to be a specific, effective part of suicide prevention. Intended Audience: All communities with interest in suicide prevention Speaker: Noah Hopkins, PhD, Population Health Specialist, AgriSafe Network

NFSHW26 Increasing Awareness for Confined Space Safety

Live Webinar: Thursday, Sept 24 - 1pm - 2pm Central TimeReview of Confined Spaces, especially those found on farms and ranches. Intended Audience: Agricultural producers, Custom harvesters/applicators, Farm Families, Ag Educators, and First Responders.Speaker: Erik Merrell, Agricultural Safety Educator, NYCAMH

NFSHW26 Noise in Agriculture: An Overlooked Occupational Hazard

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

NFSHW26 Practical Solutions for Burnout in Farm Families: Supporting Women Farmers, the Sandwich Generation, and Grandparents Raising Children

Live Webinar: Wednesday, Sept 23 - 1pm - 2pm Central TimeFarm families are facing increasing emotional, financial, and caregiving pressures that place them at high risk for the effects of chronic stress. Women farmers often carry dual responsibilities of agricultural labor and family caregiving, while many adults in agriculture are simultaneously caring for aging parents and children — the “sandwich generation.” In some farm families, grandparents have also stepped into primary parenting roles due to family needs, substance use, or economic hardship.This presentation will explore the unique mental health and wellness challenges affecting families in agricultural communities and provide practical, realistic strategies that can be implemented within the demands of farm life. Topics will include recognizing signs of burnout and compassion fatigue, setting sustainable boundaries, trauma-informed approaches to caregiving, building supportive community connections, and creating wellness routines that fit agricultural lifestyles.Intended Audience: farmers, farm families, agricultural workers, rural caregivers, agricultural educators, extension professionals, healthcare and behavioral health providers serving rural communities, and community organizations supporting agricultural populations. The content will be especially relevant for women in agriculture, multigenerational farm families, grandparents raising grandchildren, and adults balancing caregiving responsibilities for both children and aging parents. Participants do not need a mental health background, and the presentation is designed to provide practical, accessible strategies that can be applied in everyday farm and family life.Presenter: Rachael Reeder, LCSW, Executive Director, Grafton

NFSHW26 Telling the Story: Using Personal Experiences to Strengthen Farm Safety and Well-Being

Live Webinar: Wednesday, Sept 23 - 11am-12pm Central TimeThis interactive panel presentation will highlight stories from the Telling the Story Project (https://tellingthestoryproject.org), a project that shares real experiences related to agricultural injuries, fatalities, and near misses. Five panelists representing agricultural safety, health, communications, and lived experience perspectives will each share or summarize one story from the project and discuss the prevention lessons connected to that experience.The presentation will focus on how storytelling can increase awareness, encourage safer decision-making, reduce stigma around difficult conversations, and strengthen the overall health and well-being of farm families and agricultural workers.Intended Audience: Farm families, agricultural workers, ranchers, farm youth, agricultural safety and health professionals, Extension educators, healthcare providers, and others who support agricultural communities.Panelists will include Ellen Duysen, Aaron Yoder, Scott Heiberger, Devon Charlier, and Melissa Ploeckelman Brown.

NFSHW26 Pathways to Progress: Safer Routes, Stronger Communities

Live Event: Monday September 21st - 11am-12pm Central TimeEach fall, traffic and activity increase on our rural roadways. Tractors and farm equipment are on the move and share the road with other vehicles, cyclists, pedestrians, and school buses back on their daily routes. Unfortunately, this increased activity increases preventable roadway incidents—often caused by distractions, limited visibility, or simply being in a rush. Therefore, it’s the perfect time to recognize, re-examine, refocus and recommit to safety to ensure everyone safely returns home! As we enter this busy time of year, it is crucial to build awareness to keep our families, friends, and neighbors safe. During this webinar, we will explore common roadway hazards and share important safety tips. Additionally, we will highlight the Progressive Agriculture Foundation’s Rural Road Ready initiative. Discover what youth have learned about ATV/UTV, bicycle, farm equipment, railroad, roadway, and tractor safety through participation in Progressive Agriculture Safety Day, Safety Academy, and Safety Zone programs. Intended Audience: Parents; Extension Professionals; Ag Educators; Safety & Health Professionals; Healthcare Providers, etc.Speaker: Jana L. Davidson, M.Ed, Program Manager, Progressive Agriculture Foundation