Review of Outreach Activities: Knowledge Diffusion and Technology Transfer - Agriculture Forestry and Fishing Research at NIOSH - page 117

END OUTCOMES
The following are specific examples of outcomes that NIOSH identified as a
result of its programs:
• A reduction, as a result of surveillance and research activities, in acute
pesticide poisoning from 13.1 to 8.9 cases per 100,000.
• A reduction in youth injuries, in terms of both actual numbers and rates.
• Reductions in logging accidents and helicopter crashes.
• A substantial decline, as a result of safety training and inspections, in fish-
ery accidents and deaths.
• A reduction in eye injuries in migrant and seasonal farm workers through
the use of safety glasses.
Cited examples that result from the development of legislation include the
management of pesticides at both the federal and state level, specifically in Cali-
fornia, and Wisconsin legislation prohibiting driving of a tractor on a highway
by people under 16 years old unless they have successfully completed a tractor
certification course. An interesting evaluation analysis, however, showed that the
Wisconsin law did not affect injury rates.
The transfer of knowledge into regulations is seen in Mediterranean fruit fly
(medfly) control in Florida, logging practices in the Northwest, and vessel safety in
Alaska. Other regulations are related to the residential use of pesticides, the moni-
toring of cholinesterase in California, and rules associated with the application of
and new standards for ROPS.
The transfer of knowledge through improved technology is shown by the new
ROPS technology and seatbelts on tractors, the winch shutoff on fishing boats, and
monitoring sensors.
Examples of improvements by engineering include machine guards on hay bal-
ers and the ergonomic apple bag; by administrative intervention, the requirement
that fishermen wear personal flotation devices; and by protective equipment and
clothing, the use of safety glasses.
Examples of effective communication in education include day camps and
safety programs for young people, the report on leading causes of death in logging,
and the social marketing efforts in California.
Those examples are cited in the Executive Summary of the evidence package
and further elaborated on in the various sections of the evidence package (NIOSH,
2006a). The examples reflect the effort to identify impacts of all programs but most
specifically Goal 5 and the outreach, education, and communication programs.
The evidence document concludes with a statement that NIOSH was unable
to link intermediate outcomes causally with occupational injury, illness, fatality,