Other Programmatic Elements Identified by the Committee - Agriculture Forestry and Fishing Research at NIOSH - page 135

Agriculture
The NIOSH-funded ERCs at selected academic institutions (some of which
also have Ag Centers) have funded projects related to production agriculture, in-
cluding training in industrial hygiene, occupational health nursing, occupational
medicine, and occupational safety. For example, the ERC at the University of Iowa
has funded postdoctoral fellows who engage in training in a wide variety of top-
ics. It is less clear whether there is a formal relationship between the NIOSH Ag
Centers and the ERCs or whether collaborations evolved through opportunity. It
is also not clear how much emphasis is placed on agricultural health in each ERC
program. However, the committee has observed that numerous professionals have
been encouraged to explore occupational health issues—explorations that probably
would not have taken place without the presence of ERC initiatives. Quantifying
the training might be useful to measure the adequacy of preparation for practice
and as a means of determining whether NIOSH funds are well spent. Examples of
health services training in agriculture are summarized below.
Promotores de Salud From 1999 to 2003, AFF Program researchers at the Uni-
versity of Illinois at Chicago developed and evaluated an intervention to reduce
the number and severity of eye injuries in Latino farm workers through collabora-
tion with peer health advisers ( promotores de salud ) in Illinois and Michigan. The
promotores de salud were trained in eye injury and first aid by AFF Program staff.
Contacts with workers focused on distributing protective eyewear and on train-
ing in the importance of wearing appropriate eyewear. Data were collected on the
effectiveness of the intervention and showed that use of appropriate protective
eyewear by Hispanic farm workers can be increased by training lay health advisers
to select and custom-fit protective eyewear acceptable to workers and by providing
the eyewear for distribution by the promotores (Migrant Health Promotion, 2005).
The research group established an eye health and safety Web site in collaboration
with the Rural Women's Health Project to disseminate information about eye injury
prevention and the project nationally.
Certified Safe Farms The Certified Safe Farms program (funded largely by
NIOSH) has been active at the University of Iowa for about 12 years. Collaborating
academic institutions have included the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
The project is designed to determine whether farm safety inspections and resulting
changes in safety practices, with health screening of farmers, will reduce injuries
and costs of farm families' healthcare. Participants receive occupational health
screenings, health and wellness education, on-farm safety reviews, and incentives
for adopting safer farming processes. Willing farmers work with a nurse trained in
farm safety and health and a person trained in inspecting farms for safety hazards.