Committee Methods for Gathering Information - Agriculture Forestry and Fishing Research at NIOSH - page 266

BOX B-2
Emerging Research in Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing Safety and Health
Suggested by Stakeholders

Social Attitudes
Gain better understanding of the social factors on farms that affect safety practices.

Children's Safety
With changes in the global marketplace, it is important to understand the changing role of children as
sources of labor on farms and society's tolerance of putting children at undue risk.

Hearing Impairment and Loss
Assess the prevalence of hearing loss in workers in agriculture (and in rural areas in general). Effective-
ness of hearing-loss prevention programs must be assessed and established before widespread
implementation.
Additional research is needed to explore the association between hearing impairment and traumatic oc-
cupational injury in agriculture.

Healthcare
Affordable healthcare should be available to farmers and rural workers. Healthcare availability and afford-
ability may be factors in the demise of family farms.

Surveillance
Implement a comprehensive surveillance program on a national scale to monitor occupational disease,
injury, and death. Resources can then be focused better to address and prevent disease, injury, and
death.
A more comprehensive surveillance system is needed. Less emphasis should be placed on writing papers
and reports, and more on implementing surveillance in the workforce and working face to face with
organizations and workers.

James Bittner
Singer Farms

Bob Callender
New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation

Donald S. Bloswick
University of Utah

Paul Clemente
New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation Roy Buchan

Colorado State University

Henry P. Cole
University of Kentucky