The Occupational Health Screening
Demographic History Form
Prior to the clinic visit, the farmer is sent a demographic history form to fill out and bring to their appointment. The form collects information on:
- Chemical use and exposure
- Exposure to loud noises
Injuries and illnesses
- family history of disease
- Blood pressure
- Medication use
- Personal protective equipment (PPE) use
- Stress levels
General Wellness Screening
A general wellness screening will be performed which includes:
- Body Mass Index (BMI)
- Snellen vision test
Health Screening
The clinical health screening consists of the following procedures:
- Spirometry (pulmonary function testing)
Lung assessment
- Audiology screening
- Cholesterol test
- Skin assessment
- Musculoskeletal exam
- General male/female health
- Cholinesterase test (if applicable)
Results from the Clinic Visit
After the screening is complete, the clinician will review the results with the farmer. If an area of concern is identified, the clinician will:
- Provide education on the concern
- Discuss possible work exposures that may have contributed to the health condition
- Discuss treatment options
- Write a referral to the patient’s family physician or a specialist
Health and Safety Goals Development
The screening concludes with the clinician and the farmer developing health and safety goals. Examples of goals follow:Health Goals
- Lose weight
- Eat more nutritiously
- Seek further healthcare
Safety Goals
- Wearing PPE when needed
- Develop a safe play area for children
- Allow coop to spray agrichemicals
Follow-up after clinic visit
Approximately 6 months after the farmer’s initial visit, the clinician will contact them to see if they are following the clinician’s advice and seeking treatment.
- If the farmer is not following the clinician’s recommendations, the clinician will discuss the diagnosis and reinforce the importance of monitoring the health condition(s) and provide information on ways to manage the risk.
The On-farm Safety Review
The goals of the on-farm safety review include the following:
Identify health and safety hazards- Assess health and safety hazards
- Score farm according to standards
- Remediate health and safety hazards – facilitate the producer to obtain CSF status
- Educate farmer about health and safety hazards
The On-farm Safety Checklist
The CSF checklist was developed by a team of agricultural health and safety specialists from the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, and the University of Nebraska.
The goal of the checklist was to develop a tool that was:
- Practical
- Effective
- Culturally sensitive
The tool’s scoring accounts for:
- The risk of an injury occurring
- The severity of an injury
- The cost of mitigating the safety hazard
- The acceptability to the farmer
Farm Reviewers
To conduct a Certified Safe Farm on-farm safety review, the reviewers must complete a 2 day workshop and a quality assurance review each year. The workshop includes:
- Classroom training on health and safety hazards
- An on-farm training session
- An exam covering the classroom and on-farm education
The On-farm Safety Review Process
The farm reviewer will schedule a time when the farmer is available to accompany the reviewer while conducting the review. It is important that the farmer is present during the review so the reviewer has an opportunity to provide education about the hazards present on their farm.
- The reviewer will assess health and safety hazards on the farm
If a hazard is identified, it will be recorded in the checklist
- The point deduction is indicative of the relative importance of the hazard. A higher point deduction means a higher safety risk
- The reviewer will discuss the hazard and provide information on methods for removing or mitigating the hazard
- The reviewer does not remove hazards; they only provide information
- It is one of the goals of CSF that the farmer will take ownership over the program and their safety to make the corrections themselves.
After the Review is Completed
The farmer will be given a score based on the hazards present on the farm. A score of > 85% or higher is required to pass the farm review.
- The farmer will be sent a print out that provides their score and a summary of the hazards present
- Farmers are given an opportunity to make corrections after the on-farm safety review
- A corrective actions sheet accompanies the print out where they may record any actions taken to mitigate the hazards
- If they failed the initial review, this is an opportunity to raise their score to a passing level