Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
and important research and intervention pieces have resulted from the program.
As previously mentioned, the work on Alaska commercial fishing has focused
on highly important issues and has had an impact. The Childhood Agricultural
Injury Prevention Initiative is extremely relevant, and some evaluations of the
North American Guidelines for Children's Agricultural Tasks have shown reduced
injuries when the guidelines were applied. The National Agricultural Tractor Safety
Initiative is another example of a focused research effort that has been extremely
relevant. Research on musculoskeletal disorders that assessed simple and direct
solutions for agricultural worker populations is an important issue that was ad-
dressed and that had a direct impact on workers. The research conducted on inju-
ries and respiratory diseases is notable, though efforts were somewhat disjointed
at times. The AFF Program's current collaboration with other federal agencies
on the Agricultural Health Study is a crucial endeavor that addresses the effects
of environmental, occupational, dietary, and genetic factors on the health of the
agricultural population.
Although the AFF Program has been engaged in some high-priority research, it
has not balanced its research efforts to reflect areas that merit the highest priority.
Forestry work remains one of the deadliest occupations in the United States, but
the AFF Program has yet to demonstrate substantial effort in this area outside of
Alaska and the southeastern United States. The committee is concerned that the
AFF Program is not in tune with modern agricultural and forestry practices, lacks
the ability to review efforts and know when to move on to other emerging issues,
and consequently NIOSH does not have an accurate grasp of issues most pressing
to agriculture and forestry workers. As seen in information provided to the com-
mittee, the AFF Program has struggled to conduct surveillance to identify subjects
that warrant the highest priority for attention and has not been able to accurately
define the populations that it serves. It has also struggled to effectively engage
stakeholders to identify current issues and to disseminate its research findings to
practice. Those are important matters that affect the kinds of research conducted;
leaving them unaddressed will severely hinder the AFF Program's ability to conduct
research relevant to worker safety and health.
The AFF Program is engaged in transfer activities, but it has not been entirely
successful in developing integrated approaches to disseminating research findings so as
to yield additional reductions in injuries and illnesses in the AFF sectors. The AFF Pro-
gram does not appear to be as heavily involved in translational research activities
as it needs to be. Where it is involved, it does not always appear to know how and
to take credit for that involvement. The outreach approaches that do exist tended
to have been developed in other industrial settings and have not been appropriate
or effective in reaching most target AFF populations; industrial settings differ dra-
matically from AFF worksites and workforce, and different approaches are needed
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