Ag Health and Safety Alliance
Peer Reviewed Publications
We are pleased to continue publishing findings from our outreach evaluation and materials development, as it supports our expertise and contribution to this field. Our goal is to become the go-to source of scientific expertise when it comes to performing and evaluating outreach strategies and materials for young adults in agriculture. This also ensures the long-term sustainability of our mission.
If you would like to work with us on a study or article, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
Call to action: Youth and filtering facepiece respirator (FFRs)
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the need for youth-specific filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs), fit-testing protocols, and pediatric medical evaluation guidance, as current designs and regulations are largely adult-focused.
Filtering facepiece respirator use among farm youth in the US: A review.
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for effective respiratory protection for youth, yet current filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) and related protocols are largely designed for adults. This systematic review of 31 studies (1990–2023) found that while FFRs...
Organization of Community-Based Respirator Fit Testing Programs for Agricultural Workers
The agricultural industry exposed individuals to diverse respiratory hazards, yet historically, respirator use has been low. This publication outlines the development and initial impact of Community-Based Respirator Fit Testing Programs.
Development and evaluation of a new education program to protect young adult livestock workers from zoonotic disease and antimicrobial resistance
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an important emerging issue in public health. Livestock workers are at risk of exposure to several zoonotic diseases that are present in agriculture.
Lessons from a Respiratory Health and Respirator Fit Test Training Workshop in Iowa
Respirator fit testing is conducted to ensure that the respirator forms a tight seal around the wearer’s face to protect them from hazardous compounds. New requirements for fit testing as required by changes to the EPA Worker Protection Standard presented many...
OSHA Voluntary Respirator Use: Challenges incurred with use of N95 filtering facepiece respirators during the COVID-19 pandemic
We discuss several lessons learned in dealing with the interpretation of the OSHA Voluntary Use provision of the Respiratory Health Standard during the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. and identified gaps in knowledge to help prepare for similar events in the future...
JA:2021-32. ATV/Quad Safety Findings from Evaluation of the Gear up for Ag™ Program (2018-19)
This article examines some of our pre-survey responses shared at the International Society for Agricultural Safety and Health Conference in 2020.We found that most participants in our programs were using ATVs (quad bikes) on the farm and over half (56%) had rolled the...
Commentary: Highlighting the need for pesticides safety training in Nigeria: A survey of farm households in Rivers State
This commentary-style article describes current activities being done in Nigeria by Norina Farms to interview agricultural workers in Rivers State to inform development of more community-based, grassroots-style pesticides safety educational programs in the region. We...
Self-reported Quad Bike Use, Safety Behaviors, and Safety Awareness among Young Adults in U.S. and Canadian Agriculture
We surveyed more than 700 young adults working in U.S. and Canadian agriculture to examine quad bike safety behaviors and awareness of quad bike safety design. We found that participants in our programs who began using quad bikes at young ages (
Perspective: Emphasizing Safe Engineering Design Features of Quad Bikes in Agricultural Safety Programs
Perspectives shared at an ATV Safety Symposium and a review of agricultural ATV safety in the U.S. have highlighted the need for building agricultural community awareness of quad bike engineering controls such as CPDs, wider and more stable frame designs, and 126...