Raising awareness about farm safety in Iowa
Published on September 23, 2014
According to the U.S Department of Agriculture, Iowa farmers are expected to bring in by far the largest harvest ever in 2014. The bumper crop means farmers will be working more days and longer hours, and amplifies the need for awareness around farm safety.
“This week is National Farm Safety Week, and with harvest right around the corner, highlighting farm safety could not come at a better time,” says Fred Gerr, director of the University of Iowa’s Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health based in the UI College of Public Health. “Farming is still one of the country’s most dangerous professions, and we must do everything we can to help farmers in Iowa and throughout the U.S. have a successful and safe harvest season.”
The 2014 Farm Safety and Health Week runs from Sept. 21-27. This year’s theme, “Safety Counts: Protecting What Matters,” underscores the importance of all Iowans working together to build a safer and healthier agricultural work place.
The UI College of Public Health is one of the pre-eminent academic institutions conducting research, education, and outreach on rural health and safety. The college’s activities in the area encompass a wide range of topics that directly affect the health of Iowans. For more information on agricultural safety, visit the following resources:
- Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health: The University of Iowa’s Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health, one of 10 U.S. Agricultural Centers funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), is committed to partnering with agricultural producers, agricultural safety and health professionals, agricultural businesses, and government agencies to deliver the most effective agricultural safety and health programs possible. The center has a wide range of educational materials available and offers in-person training and small grant opportunities.
- Iowa’s Center for Agricultural Safety and Health (I-CASH): The vision of I-CASH is to make Iowa the world’s healthiest and safest agricultural environment in which to live and work. The center is a state-wide organization created in 1990 by the Iowa State Legislature in partnership with Iowa State University, the Iowa Department of Health, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, and a diverse group of private and public agricultural health and safety organizations.
For more information on National Farm Safety and Health Week, and safety resources, visit the website of the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety, www.necasag.org/.
Additional agricultural safety and health resources can be found on the NIOSH Agricultural Centers’ YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/USagCenters. The channel features more than 40 videos available for Extension agents/educators, agricultural science teachers, producers/owner/operators, first responders and agricultural families.