UC Agricultural Health & Safety Center at Davis
On-Line News
Issue Number 1996-02
Spring 1996
Published by the UC Agricultural Health & Safety Center at
Davis, University of California, Davis, Marc Schenker, M.D., M.P.H.,
Director, Marti Childs, Editor
1996-02-01 TABLE OF CONTENTS
- 1996-02-01 Table of Contents
- 1996-02-02 Welcome and Introduction
- 1996-02-03 Third annual NIOSH meeting an
international success
- 1996-02-04 International conference promotes
worldwide ag health & safety
- 1996-02-05 Highlights from the Second Annual
AgSafe Conference
- 1996-02-06 Jose Millan reviews TIPP at the
Center's noon seminar
- 1996-02-07 An analysis of farm safety practices
in the winegrape industry
1996-02-02 WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the UC Agricultural Health & Safety Center at Davis
On-Line News.
On-Line News is a synopsis of news items covered by the Center's
quarterly newsletter along with additional information related to
agricultural health and safety issues. The Center has two electronic
list servers that allow automatic forwarding of e-mail to a list
of subscribers. One server is a forum for announcements and discussion
of agricultural health and safety issues and the other is a vehicle
for the automatic distribution of mini-newsletters.
The e-mail addresses for the forum is: aghealth@oem.ucdavis.edu
(message forwarding address) and aghealth-request@oem.ucdavis.edu
(subscriber request address). The addresses for the newsletter are:
aghealthnews@oem.ucdavis.edu (message forwarding address) and aghealthnews-request@oem.ucdavis.edu
(subscriber request address).
To subscribe to a list, send an e-mail message to the request address
with no subject and a one line message giving the option subscribe
and your name. For example, to subscribe to the forum for announcements
and general agricultural health and safety issues, you would send
the following:
To: aghealth-request@oem.ucdavis.edu
Subject:
Message:
subscribe (your name here)
By return e-mail you will receive confirmation of your request and
more information about using the listserver request functions.
To subscribe to the On-line News, your request would look like:
To: aghealthnews-request@oem.ucdavis.edu
Subject:
Message:
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1996-02-03 THIRD ANNUAL NIOSH MEETING AN INTERNATIONAL
SUCCESS
One month prior to President Clinton's signing of the $160 billion
federal budget package, which financed dozens of government agencies
and encompassed the largest single-year cut in government spending
since the end of World War II, the Third Annual NIOSH Agricultural
Health and Safety Conference convened in Iowa City March 24-26. Hosted
by the Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health at the University
of Iowa in Iowa City, the conference attracted a record 214 participants
from around the world to discuss areas of common interest in agricultural
health and safety.
"I am impressed with the degree of collaboration and cooperation
among the agricultural health and safety centers," said Greg Wagner,
M.D., director of NIOSH, Morgantown, WV, during his overview of
NIOSH agricultural initiatives. "We all have common views and common
goals, and I think it's an important step in improving the health
and well-being of farmworkers."
He went on to explain the chronological course of political events
that threatened to shut down NIOSH. According to Wagner, elimination
of redundant functions and a proposed $40 million administrative
cut to the CDC placed the NIOSH budget in jeopardy. In addition,
Wagner discussed results of an external "evaluation group" that
encouraged NIOSH to improve communications with other agencies.
"The evaluation stated that ag centers should function as regional
coordinators and facilitators of communications," he said. Wagner
added that the evaluation group recommended more attention be directed
toward migrant farm workers.
Conference speakers represented the NIOSH ag centers, Occupational
Health Nurses in Agricultural Communities (OHNAC), NIOSH's Fatality
Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) program and W.K. Kellogg-funded
programs. Kaj Husman of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health
presented a global view of occupational health services. He reported
that while the incidence of farmer's lung is diminishing worldwide,
occur-rences of skin disease, asthma and rhinitis are increasing.
Nineteen breakout sessions were offered to conference attendees,
covering broad topics such as children, injuries, intervention,
machinery and airborne exposure. The UC Davis Center was well represented
during the sessions with four speakers covering a variety of topics.
Center Director Marc Schenker presented a paper titled "Agricultural
Pneumoconiosis in Dry Climate Farming-an epidemiologic-pathology
study." Center Investigator John Miles gave an overview of the "Agricultural
Ergonomics Research Program," a multi-campus, multi-disciplinary
program seeking to provide engineering and system interventions
to reduce hazards related to cumulative trauma injuries. Don Villarejo,
center investigator and director of the California Institute for
Rural Studies, presented "Safety Law Enforcement in California Agriculture,"
and Editor Marti Childs described the electronic communication services
offered by the UC Davis Center.
The conference included an international panel of agricultural
health and safety representatives from Finland, Sweden, Norway Denmark,
Germany, United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Australia and Canada,
who stayed in Iowa City another three days to attend a workshop
on agricultural health and safety (see International Workshop on
page 1). Panel members discussed health and safety programs and
efforts taking place in their respective countries.
This conference epitomized the collaborative efforts of international
government, university and industry representatives, working together
to ensure that agricultural workers are safe and healthy. The shared
knowledge will prove invaluable to all of those working hard to
provide a safe and healthy workplace for farmworkers worldwide.
1996-02-04 IOWA CITY CONFERENCE PROMOTES WORLDWIDE
AG HEALTH & SAFETY
Agricultural health and safety experts from 11 countries and the United
States gathered at an International Workshop on Agricultural Health
and Safety March 27-29 to establish future directions for promoting
and advancing research and outreach activities. The specific aims
of the workshop, which followed the NIOSH Conference at the University
of Iowa, Iowa City, were to discuss research, intervention, training
and education programs; and to develop international cooperation and
collaboration in these areas.
Workshop attendees included directors of the seven NIOSH-funded
agricultural health and safety centers, visitors from the Scandinavian
countries, Canada and Australia, and representatives from Slovakia
and Romania-two countries in which agricultural health and safety
programs are still undeveloped.
The first half of the conference was spent (1) identifying priority
areas for international collaborative research; (2) establishing
mechan-isms for promoting collaborative research; (3) determining
the most appropriate methods of information exchange; and (4) outlining
inter-national student and researcher training exchanges.
The second half consisted of an overnight field trips to the rural
area surrounding Iowa City. Site visits included (1) the University
of Iowa's research facility to learn about its Keokuk County Rural
Health Study of the effects of environmental exposures and health
status of county residents; (2) the Iowa Agricultural Health and
Safety Network Clinic in Oskaloosa; (3) an elementary school in
Victor for a Farm Safety 4 Just Kids presentation; (4) several local
farms; and (5) a trip to the Amana Colonies to experience German-American
cuisine. Workshop participants discussed the possibility of establishing
international chapters of Farm Safety 4 Just Kids.
The discussion on immediate collaborative research yielded several
conclusive decisions: --control technology-utilizing and adapting
a Danish system for spraying swine with a water/soap/oil mixture;
--development and dissemina-tion of a system of norms/standards
for farm building construction to ensure safety of new or remodeled
farm structures; --surveillance-development of standardized questionnaires
and a standardized farm walk-about; --childhood safety-a project
to count all child fatalities that occurred on farms or were agriculture-related
from 1985-1995 in each participating country, and to maintain a
registry; --equipment design-pursue the possibility of developing
a registry of equipment that has caused injury and death; --a promotion
and reward system for good agricultural machine design and engineering
through an agricultural equipment design award.
Participants identified the need for funding sources to promote
the international exchange of students and professionals in agricultural
health and safety. Joel Bremen, deputy director of the Fogerty International
Center, provided information on his center's initiative to promote
training opportunities in some countries. He said that agencies
such as the World Health Organization could assist in identifying
resources. An immediate plan of action was to create a database
that describes institutional programs and training needs of each
institution represented at the workshop.
"This workshop brought together experts from the international
community to address a topic of global concern," said UC Davis Center
Director Marc Schenker. "Although we work in disparate locations,
today's remarkable electronic communication tech-nologies provide
a pathway, uniting our community of scientists for the betterment
of agricultural health and safety worldwide."
Workshop Participants Australia (1) Canada (2) Denmark (2) Finland
(4) Germany (1) Netherlands (1) Norway (4) Romania (2) Slovakia
(2) Sweden (3) United Kingdom (1) NIOSH Ag Center Directors and
Program Directors (7), University of Iowa Representatives (8), Fogerty
International Center Representative (1) ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Robin
Ungar is associate director of the Center for International Rural
and Environmental Health at the University of Iowa, Iowa City.
1995-02-05 HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE SECOND AGSAFE CONFERENCE
Establishing and implementing health and safety standards throughout
the agricultural industry is an extremely challenging effort, requiring
tremendous commitment by all involved. Participants of the Second
Annual AgSafe Agricultural Health and Safety Conference, which was
held March 18-19 at the Holiday Inn Capitol Plaza in Sacramento, echoed
this sentiment.
Sponsored and funded in part by the UC Agricultural Health &
Safety Center at Davis, the conference attracted more than 170 people,
representing a diverse group of farm owners and operators, labor
contractors, farm managers, agricultural safety professionals, scientists,
insurance representatives and attorneys. The gathering provided
a wonderful opportunity for discussions of issues of common concern.
The Center was well represented at the conference: of the 10 different
seminars and workshops, instructors for four presentations were
directly affiliated with the Center. On the first day, four professional
development seminars were offered, including Introduction to Agricultural
Safety, which was presented by Center Investigator James Meyers,
and Richard DaRosa, Regional Manager of Cal/OSHA Consultation Service.
Center investigators Pat Marer, Jennifer Weber and Melanie Zavala
of the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Project, delivered
an immensely popular workshop called How to Organize and Deliver
Safety Training. The session accepted more than the usual number
of people and still had to turn people away. They used a wide variety
of creative approaches in their presentation, including videos,
games, slides, case studies and role playing.
Keynote speaker Gene Hein, corporate director for Environ-mental
Health and Safety, E. & J. Gallo Winery, provided the audience
with a historical overview of the development of health and safety
public policy in the United States during his talk, Challenges Facing
the Ag Safety Professional. Gene's vast experience as a safety manager
in the chemical, public utilities and agricultural industries over
the past 35 years was evident.
"History is important in determining the future," he said. Hein
contends that most health and safety laws were enacted as a result
of tragedies, such as the Triangle Waistcoat Co. fire in 1914, and
a similar fire in a South Carolina poultry factory in the 1990s.
According to Hein, management is the key to any successful solution
to health and safety problems. Management sets the standard and
the work environment and is responsible for protecting and educating
its employees.
Center investigators Jim Meyers and John Miles presented two ergonomics
training sessions which, according to John Miles, "seemed to go
well." He added, "It was certainly nice to see so many agricultural
safety people at a continuing education seminar."
The lunch speaker, John Howard, M.D., chief of Cal/OSHA, presented
a talk titled What's New at Cal/OSHA? He sparked many questions
and a lively discussion about new Cal/OSHA regulations and enforcement
policies and procedures.
According to its Director Don Bennett, AgSafe has recently changed
its focus toward a membership-based organization that promotes educational
activities and applied research, organizes regional meetings and
conferences, and collects, interprets and disseminates agricultural
safety information to enhance the effectiveness of agricultural
safety professionals. The conference marked this fundamental change.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Gregg Cirillo is manager of the UC Agricultural
Health & Safety Center at Davis.
1995-02-06 JOSE MILLAN REVIEWS TIPP AT THE CENTER'S
NOON SEMINAR
A 1992 Sacramento Bee article "Fields of Pain," chronicled a litany
of abuse of California farmworkers. Its publication was the spark
that ignited California's Targeted Industries Partnership Program
(TIPP), a coordinated enforcement program formed to maximize state,
federal and local resources to secure compliance in two traditionally
troubled industries-agriculture and garment manufacturing.
"The media massacred us that year," said José Millan, J.D.,
interim labor commissioner for the state of California since November
1995, and guest speaker for the Center's March 1 noon seminar. "The
Legislature had just cut us back from 400 down to 300 positions.
A quarter of our staff had been taken away-yet we had a massive
problem on our hands."
The most logical way out of this dilemma was to pool resources
and information, and form partnerships with other agencies to develop
a more effective enforcement program. Victoria Bradshaw, then state
labor commissioner, was a key player in organizing TIPP, whose three
primary players include the U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour
Division (DOL), the California Department of Industrial Relations,
Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) and the California
Employment Development Department (EDD).
TIPP's guiding philosophy is to enforce existing laws better and
more efficiently by coordinating the resources of affiliated agencies
and to educate employers and employees so that violations can be
prevented before they occur.
"By working together we were able to increase the number of inspections
we perform while providing more comprehensive inspections," said
Millan. "The compliance in agriculture today is by far better than
it was three years ago."
TIPP has concentrated on educating growers and farm labor contractors
about their respective responsibilities. Because farmworkers themselves
join the ranks of farm labor contractors, need for the education
effort is ongoing. As a direct result of the TIPP program, farm
labor associations are beginning to band together to educate their
constituents and encourage voluntary compliance with labor, health
and safety laws.
Millan is working with Center Investigator Don Villarejo, director
of the California Institute of Rural Studies, to develop a comprehensive
database of farm labor contractors and growers for enforcement and
licensing purposes. While researching this project, Villarejo found
that much of the information obtained from applicants seeking licenses
didn't match information the same individuals were reporting to
other agencies such as EDD or the U.S. Department of Labor. Having
a common database to work from provides a more reliable compliance
history and eliminates duplication of efforts in collecting the
information.
Has TIPP influenced practices in agriculture? Millan says unequivocally
"yes." He explained that growers fear negative publicity, and the
TIPP program publicizes the names of growers who hire illegal contractors
and have other safety violations against them. "Growers don't like
that kind of publicity," said Millan. "We use the power of the media
to promote compliance by shining a spotlight on the violators."
Millan says he isn't trying to kid himself or anyone else-he knows
violations occur every day. He would like to see county agricultural
commissioners getting more involved in safety enforcement.
"I think we'll see more compliance in agriculture as more of the
people doing things right become less tolerant of the few who don't
want to play by the rules," he said. The garment industry; however,
is another story. Millan says TIPP representatives have tried everything
to bring compliance to that industry, in which labor law violations
are rampant. "Unfortunately," he says "it is an intractable problem."
1995-02-07 AN ANALYSIS OF FARM SAFETY PRACTICES
IN THE WINEGRAPE INDUSTRY
Assurance that workers are safe on the job is a major responsibility
of farm owners and managers. However, some do a better job of taking
care of workers than others do. Under the guidance of Center investigator
Jim Grieshop, I have been conducting a case study of winegrape growers
in San Joaquin and Sonoma counties. Our goal is to identify and gain
an understanding of the organizational variables and management practices
that foster farm safety.
From July through December 1995, we conducted in-depth, semi-structured
interviews of 32 winegrape growers-typically vineyard owners and/or
managers. Study participants ranged from family-owned vineyards
of less than 200 acres to corporate-owned vineyards of several thousand
acres. Our success in recruiting growers was made possible by Cooperative
Extension advisors Rhonda Smith, of Sonoma County, and Paul Verdegaal,
of San Joaquin County.
In addition to examining how size, management structure and production
technology influence safety management, our study also explores
the interests and motivations of employers/managers and the roles
and constraints that they face in managing a safe workplace. Some
of the questions we hope to answer are:
Preliminary find-ings reveal an array of novel practices that have
contributed to farm safety. These practices fall in the categories
of person-nel management, equipment use, cul-tural (agronomic) practices
and safety training. For exam-ple, to reduce the incidence of cut
fingers during man-ual harvesting, some growers grind off the points
of harvest knives or purchase pre-rounded knives. Other growers
interviewed had no knowledge of this safety measure. Findings such
as these have resulted in a second study we refer to as our "Best
Practices" study.
This Best Practices study will initially target 700 California
farmers who, in 1995, received awards for their outstanding safety
records by the Rural Health and Safety Committee of the California
Farm Bureau Federation and State Compensation Insurance Fund. Our
goals are: 1) to learn what these farmers have done to create a
safe workplace; 2) to identify the organizational context within
which the Best Practices are realized; and 3) to share with others
(farmers, labor contractors and health professionals) what is learned.
Dissemination of the Best Practices study will be followed by an
evaluation of farmer response to the information and its impact
on farm safety.
These studies hold promise of revealing findings, particularly
because of their systematic attempt to examine how organizational
culture of the farm workplace shapes and is influenced by safety
management. It is widely recognized that injuries do not occur in
a vacuum. The corollary merits further exploration. These studies
represent a first step in this direction.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Daniel Carroll is a third-year student in the
UC Davis Graduate Group in International Agricultural Development.
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