Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health最新文献

{"title":"Utilization and Effectiveness of Harnesses and Lifelines in Grain Entrapment Incidents: Preliminary Analysis.","authors":"Salah F Issa,&nbsp;Mahmoud M Nour,&nbsp;William E Field","doi":"10.13031/jash.12170","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13031/jash.12170","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>No previous studies have been found that document the level of use or validate the effectiveness of safety harnesses and lifelines in the prevention of or extrication from grain entrapments or engulfments. This article addresses that void via analysis of the data contained in the Purdue Agricultural Confined Space Incident Database. A total of 1,147 cases involving entrapments or engulfments in grain masses were mined for terms that might indicate the use of a safety harness, lifeline, fall restraint system, rope, or outside observer. Case information ranged from brief news accounts to comprehensive investigation results. The review turned up 38 incidents (< 5%) in which these safety devices were identified as having been used by either workers or rescuers during access to a storage structure. In 26 of the 38 cases (68%) where safety devices were identified, the entrapment or engulfment resulted in a fatality. The two most common reasons cited for failure of these devices were (1) that the lifeline or rope was too long (17 incidents) and (2) that the worker had removed the harness with the attached lifeline while in the structure (6 incidents). It was also determined that these devices, if used improperly, can lead to secondary injuries of the victim. The preliminary evidence suggests that use of these devices alone does not ensure the user's safety and may even provide a false sense of security if used without proper training. It was further found that an approved body harness and safety line provided little or no protection from either entrapment or falls if used in the presence of vertically crusted grain surfaces, without proper anchors, or not in conjunction with outside observers. The presented results are important for safety professionals to consider as they endeavor to reduce the risk of grain entrapment and engulfment incidents through training, education, selection of personal protective equipment, etc., and should contribute to the development of new structural standards for grain bins. It is the intent of this article to elucidate the importance of training and proper use of these safety devices.</p>","PeriodicalId":45344,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2018-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.13031/jash.12170","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"36117829","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Summary of U.S. Injuries and Fatalities Involving Entrapment and Suffocation in Grain Transport Vehicles.","authors":"Yuan-Hsin Cheng,&nbsp;William E Field,&nbsp;Salah F Issa,&nbsp;Kevin Kelley,&nbsp;Matthew Heber,&nbsp;Robert Turner","doi":"10.13031/jash.12479","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13031/jash.12479","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Since 1978, the Purdue University Agricultural Safety and Health Program has managed a surveillance effort and database to collect information on documented injuries and fatalities in all forms of U.S. agricultural confined spaces. The database currently contains 1,968 cases documented in the U.S. between 1964 and 2016. Of these cases, 174 (8.8%) involved entrapment or suffocation in grain transport vehicles (GTVs), including gravity-flow wagons, semi-truck trailers, and other agricultural transport vehicles that have limited access and are not considered normal work spaces or are classified as confined spaces. These GTV cases represent the overwhelming majority of documented cases involving all forms of agricultural transport vehicles, including forage and manure transport vehicles. Of the incidents documented, 64.3% resulted in fatalities and 71.8% involved children and youth age 20 years and under, when the age was determined. For the GTV cases, the typical victim was male (88.5%), and the average age of the victim was 19.9 (median 12), with over 63.5% of the cases involving children under the age of 15. In numerous incidents, more than one victim became entrapped, including one incident involving five victims. The number of documented cases decreased sharply from a peak of approximately 7 cases per year in the early 1990s to an average of 3.1 cases per year over the past two decades, with no cases documented in 1998 and 2013. However, there is a linear increase in the frequency of incidents since the first case was documented in 1964. This trend is partially due to peaks in 2011 and 2014, when 10 and 9 cases, respectively, were documented, along with more vigilant surveillance methods due to online search capabilities. The general decline, more recently, in the annual number of cases is attributed to increased awareness of the hazards to youth during transport in GTVs, increased use of warnings on GTVs, and the increased size of GTVs, which makes human access more difficult and less practical. Efforts over the past decade to bring attention to the risk of entrapment in GTVs should be recognized as a success of the educational and technological strategies initiated due to earlier high-profile incidents. However, with 6, 10, 9, and 4 cases documented in 2010, 2011, 2014, and 2016, respectively, continued efforts to address the problem are justified. Recommendations for future actions include development of a safety standard for GTVs that includes placement of safety messages on all new GTVs, use of windows above outlets, retrofitting older GTVs with appropriate warnings, and continuing to address the hazard with safety resources targeting all workers exposed to grain handling and transport.</p>","PeriodicalId":45344,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2018-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.13031/jash.12479","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"36117749","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"ESTIMATING THE COST OF AGRICULTURAL MORBIDITY IN MAINE AND NEW HAMPSHIRE.","authors":"Nathan M Jones,&nbsp;Erika E Scott,&nbsp;Nicole Krupa,&nbsp;Paul L Jenkins","doi":"10.13031/jash.12146","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13031/jash.12146","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This article provides an estimate for the economic costs of agricultural injuries sustained in the states of Maine and New Hampshire between the years 2008 and 2010. The authors used a novel dataset of 562 agriculturally related occupational injuries, and cost estimates were generated using the CDC's Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS). Individual cases from the dataset that did not match the query options for WISQARS were excluded. Of the 562 agricultural injuries identified in the dataset, 361 met the WISQARS criteria. The remaining 201 cases were judged to be incompatible with the WISQARS query criteria. Significant differences (p 0.0001) were found between the median costs of eight types of injury. Amputations (median = $70,077) and fractures (median = $13,365) were found to be the most expensive types of injury. The total cost of the 361 injuries for which estimates were available was $6,342,270. Injuries that reportedly involved machinery were found to be more expensive than injuries caused by animals. This article highlights the difference in the total cost of injury between types of injuries and demonstrates that agricultural injuries were a significant economic burden for Maine and New Hampshire for the years 2008-2010. These data can be used to direct future preventive efforts. Finally, this article suggests that WISQARS is a powerful tool for estimating injury costs without requiring access to treatment or billing records.</p>","PeriodicalId":45344,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2018-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.13031/jash.12146","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10630566","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"EVALUATION OF AGRICULTURAL TRACTOR SEAT COMFORT WITH A NEW PROTOCOL BASED ON PRESSURE DISTRIBUTION ASSESSMENT.","authors":"Marco Bordignon,&nbsp;Maurizio Cutini,&nbsp;Carlo Bisaglia,&nbsp;Paolo Taboga,&nbsp;Francesco Marcolin","doi":"10.13031/jash.12209","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13031/jash.12209","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Professional drivers have been found to be at a high risk of developing low back pain due to prolonged sitting and vehicle vibration. In a previous survey carried out on 1,155 tractor drivers, tractor vibration and/or incorrect posture while driving were found to cause low back disorders in more than 80% of the interviewed drivers. In this context, the present research introduces a new evaluation protocol to assess the ergonomic characteristics of agricultural tractor seats through the use of pressure sensors, taking into account both static and dynamic conditions. The degree of comfort was defined by analyzing the pressure distribution exerted by a sample of 12 drivers sitting on two seats in five different operating conditions. The pressure distribution values thus obtained were compared with the corresponding pressures recorded with the 12 drivers sitting on a reference seat (rigid seat, backrest, and suspension) designed for the purpose. From the comparison, it was possible to define a comfort index (CI) that allowed an objective assessment of the two seats. Statistical analysis showed that the CIs of the two seats were significantly different in all five operating conditions. Moreover, the two seats showed different CIs as a function of the operating condition. Although less comfortable, one seat showed almost constant CI values in all five operating conditions. Conversely, the other seat showed a progressively decreasing CI from the static condition to the uneven ground condition.</p>","PeriodicalId":45344,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2018-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.13031/jash.12209","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"35903857","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"MODIFIED PATH METHODOLOGY FOR OBTAINING INTERVAL-SCALED POSTURAL ASSESSMENTS OF FARMWORKERS.","authors":"Emma B Garrison,&nbsp;Jonathan Dropkin,&nbsp;Rebecca Russell,&nbsp;Paul Jenkins","doi":"10.13031/jash.12453","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13031/jash.12453","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Agricultural workers perform tasks that frequently require awkward and extreme postures that are associated with musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). The PATH (Posture, Activity, Tools, Handling) system currently provides a sound methodology for quantifying workers' exposure to these awkward postures on an ordinal scale of measurement, which places restrictions on the choice of analytic methods. This study reports a modification of the PATH methodology that instead captures these postures as degrees of flexion, an interval-scaled measurement. Rather than making live observations in the field, as in PATH, the postural assessments were performed on photographs using ImageJ photo analysis software. Capturing the postures in photographs permitted more careful measurement of the degrees of flexion. The current PATH methodology requires that the observer in the field be trained in the use of PATH, whereas the single photographer used in this modification requires only sufficient training to maintain the proper camera angle. Ultimately, these interval-scale measurements could be combined with other quantitative measures, such as those produced by electromyograms (EMGs), to provide more sophisticated estimates of future risk for MSDs. Further, these data can provide a baseline from which the effects of interventions designed to reduce hazardous postures can be calculated with greater precision.</p>","PeriodicalId":45344,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2018-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.13031/jash.12453","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10519952","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"DESIGN AND EVALUATION OF INDIVIDUAL ELEMENTS OF THE INTERFACE FOR AN AGRICULTURAL MACHINE.","authors":"Aadesh K Rakhra,&nbsp;Danny D Mann","doi":"10.13031/jash.12410","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13031/jash.12410","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>If a user-centered approach is not used to design information displays, the quantity and quality of information presented to the user may not match the needs of the user, or it may exceed the capability of the human operator for processing and using that information. The result may be an excessive mental workload and reduced situation awareness of the operator, which can negatively affect the machine performance and operational outcomes. The increasing use of technology in agricultural machines may expose the human operator to excessive and undesirable information if the operator's information needs and information processing capabilities are ignored. In this study, a user-centered approach was used to design specific interface elements for an agricultural air seeder. Designs of the interface elements were evaluated in a laboratory environment by developing high-fidelity prototypes. Evaluations of the user interface elements yielded significant improvement in situation awareness (up to 11%; overall mean difference = 5.0 (4.8%), 95% CI (6.4728, 3.5939), p 0.0001). Mental workload was reduced by up to 19.7% (overall mean difference = -5.2 (-7.9%), n = 30, a = 0.05). Study participants rated the overall performance of the newly designed user-centered interface elements higher in comparison to the previous designs (overall mean difference = 27.3 (189.8%), 99% CI (35.150, 19.384), p 0.0001.</p>","PeriodicalId":45344,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2018-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.13031/jash.12410","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"35903858","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The prevalence of disabilities in the U.S. farm population","authors":"Cristina Miller, R. Aherin","doi":"10.13031/JASH.12934","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13031/JASH.12934","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Health limitations and disabilities among farmers, farmworkers, and farm family members may have implications on their day-to-day activities and well-being as well as the farm business, but little is known about the extent of these limitations and disabilities. Using the U.S. Census Bureau‘s American Community Survey (ACS) Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) files from 2008 to 2016, the following questions were examined: what is the prevalence of disability in the overall farm population; what is the prevalence of health difficulties and disability among farmers, farmworkers, and farm family members; and do farmer and farmworker disability prevalence rates vary over time, by state, gender, or race/ethnicity. Finally, the effects of demographic factors were estimated on the likelihood that farmers and farmworkers might experience a disability. The findings of this study indicated that the disability rate in the farm population was 12.9%. On average, almost two out of ten farmers (19.2%) and nearly one out of ten farmworkers (9.0%) had a disability. One in 25 farm family children (4.2%, ages 6 to 17) and slightly more than two in 25 farm family adults (10.5%) had a disability.","PeriodicalId":45344,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2018-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.13031/JASH.12934","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67065031","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Effect of Friction on Actuation Torques of Foldable Rollover Protective Structures.","authors":"Farzaneh Khorsandi,&nbsp;Paul D Ayers","doi":"10.13031/jash.12844","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13031/jash.12844","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The number of fatal tractor rollover accidents with an inoperative foldable rollover protective structure (FROPS) has increased sharply in recent years. Operators frequently leave the FROPS in the folded-down position after lowering the FROPS to pass a low overhead obstacle. One possible explanation for leaving the FROPS in the folded position is that raising and lowering the FROPS is a time-consuming and strenuous process. The actuation torques required to raise and lower a FROPS are not well known and may be influenced by friction. The actuation torques of ten FROPS from four different models were measured. One model FROPS was tested on seven different vehicles, and three models were tested separately. The dynamic and static (initiation and holding) actuation torques were measured to evaluate the effect of static and kinetic friction on actuation torque. The dynamic actuation torques were measured before and after greasing the FROPS. The proposed instruction to measure the actuation torque based on OECD Code 7 was evaluated. Results showed that friction has a significant effect on the measured actuation torque and can increase the actuation torque by up to 212%. The friction varies between FROPS of the same model, which is due to variations in the manufacturing, maintenance, and age of the FROPS. The friction force could be decreased by greasing the FROPS, and decreasing the friction increased the lowering resisting torques and decreased raising torques of FROPS. The measured actuation torque based on OECD Code 7 instruction (static holding) is not a constant value. The dynamic method is recommended for measuring FROPS actuation torques.</p>","PeriodicalId":45344,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2018-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.13031/jash.12844","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"38199316","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Let's stop treating our youth like dummies","authors":"W. Field, Yuan-Hsin Cheng, R. Tormoehlen, R. Aherin, C. Schwab, Daniel Neenan, M. Roberts","doi":"10.13031/JASH.12822","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13031/JASH.12822","url":null,"abstract":"At a recent training event to evaluate various types of rescue devices and strategies to extricate victims from partial entrapment in free-flowing grain, a group of volunteer high school students were invited to participate as test subjects. For each test, two youth were equipped with full-body harnesses and lifelines, asked to stand on the grain surface in a semi-trailer load of dry corn, and then allowed to be drawn into the grain as the bottom discharge gate under each youth was opened. Both “victims” were drawn into the grain at either end of the trailer at the same time, each located over the deepest section of the trailer directly above a hopper. Photos were taken of the entrapped youth showing no more than their heads and shoulders above the grain surface.","PeriodicalId":45344,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2018-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.13031/JASH.12822","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67064924","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"National Estimates of Youth and Injuries on U.S. Farms, 2012.","authors":"Kitty J Hendricks,&nbsp;Larry A Layne,&nbsp;E Michael Goldcamp","doi":"10.13031/jash.13014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13031/jash.13014","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), in order to provide injury surveillance for youth on farms in the U.S., partnered with the USDA to conduct the Childhood Agricultural Injury Survey (CAIS). CAIS data for all farm youth less than 20 years of age have been collected intermittently since 1998. CAIS data from 2012 indicated that an estimated 25.9 million youth lived on, worked on, or visited U.S. farms. These youth experienced almost 14,000 injuries while on the farm. The majority of these injuries occurred to males (7,290) and youth between the ages of 10 and 15 years (5,766). Approximately 20% (2,739) of the injuries were related to work being done on the farm. Youth living on the farm incurred 56% (7,784) of the injuries. An additional 5,771 injuries occurred to hired and visiting youth. Although youth injuries on farms have declined, the numbers are still unacceptably high. Additional research and detailed assessments of subsets of the youth population would help to better direct safety intervention programs and focus future research activities.</p>","PeriodicalId":45344,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2018-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.13031/jash.13014","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"33491188","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}