兰德-Injury-and-Illness-Surveillance-of-US-Agricultural-Workers_-Assessment-of-Recommendations-and-Actions_80页_594kb

Summary of "Injury and Illness Surveillance of U.S. Agricultural Workers"

Core Content

This report evaluates the recommendations and actions proposed in the 2012 independent panel review of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (AgFF) Program. The goal is to help NIOSH and its agricultural surveillance partners prioritize and implement these recommendations effectively. The analysis considers the feasibility and desirability of various actions, based on factors such as cost, timeline, information availability, and alignment with program goals.

Main Objectives

• To identify and assess actions for improving agricultural injury and illness surveillance.
• To prioritize these actions based on their achievability, feasibility, and desirability.
• To provide guidance on how to implement the recommendations through different mechanisms (extramural funding, partnership engagement, and direct NIOSH action).

Key Findings

• High-Injury Rates: Farmworkers experience significantly higher rates of injury and illness compared to workers in other hazardous industries such as fishing, logging, mining, and construction.
• Child Vulnerability: Children under 18 working on farms are particularly at risk, with an estimated 7,780 household youth injured in 2012.
• Surveillance Importance: Surveillance is critical for understanding the scope of agricultural injuries and illnesses, identifying vulnerable groups, and evaluating the effectiveness of interventions.
• NIOSH's Role: NIOSH leads agricultural injury and illness surveillance, focusing on data collection, analysis, and research to improve worker safety and health.

Major Themes and Recommendations

Theme 1: Define and Characterize Agricultural Worker Populations at Risk

• Develop concise definitions of populations at occupational exposure risk.
• Profile these populations by commodity specialization, demographic factors, work organization patterns, and use of emerging technologies.

Theme 2: Review Ongoing or New Data Sources for Surveillance

• Conduct assessments of data sources for large and nonfamily farms.
• Identify and evaluate existing data sources for illness and injury surveillance among agricultural workers.

Theme 3: Analyze, Report, and Communicate Surveillance Findings

• Provide context in reports and analyses, including information on agricultural enterprises, operational characteristics, and risk descriptors.
• Stratify data on children into categories: employed within agricultural enterprises, self-employed, and unpaid family workers.

Theme 4: Address Emerging Issues in Agricultural Safety and Health

• Establish partnerships to monitor zoonotic diseases.
• Monitor alternative animal production systems and develop guidelines for children and youth workers.

Key Actions Identified

Action	Mechanism	Cost (per year)	Duration (years)	Achievability Score	Feasibility Score	Desirability Score
1.1: Develop definitions and taxonomy	EXF	$150K–$170K	1	4.00	4.20	3.67
5.2: Evaluate existing data sources	EXF	$175K–$160K	2–5	4.00	3.60	4.67
3.1: Field supplementary modules on hired farmworkers	PART	$330K	3	3.88	3.40	4.67
4.1: Improve validity of the Childhood Agricultural Injury Survey	PART	$1 million	1	3.50	3.20	4.00
8.2: Monitor alternative animal production systems	PART	$175K	2–3	3.38	3.20	3.67
4.2: Field child injury survey	PART	$330K	6	3.13	3.00	3.33
8.1: Partner for zoonotic disease monitoring	PART	Unknown	Uncertain	3.13	3.00	3.33

Action Prioritization

• High-Priority Actions: 1.1 and 5.2, due to their high achievability and desirability.
• Moderate-Priority Actions: 3.1 and 4.1.
• Low-Priority Actions: 4.2, 8.1, and 8.2, due to lower scores in both feasibility and desirability.

Implementation Mechanisms

• Extramural Funding Mechanisms: Include contracts, cooperative agreements, and grants. These mechanisms are generally more feasible and achievable than relying on partner capabilities.
• Partner Engagement and Capabilities: May involve collaboration with organizations such as the National Agricultural Workers' Survey (NAWS) and the National Children's Center (NCC). These actions may have longer timelines and uncertain information availability.
• Direct NIOSH Action: Involves new analyses or reports using existing data. These actions are limited due to resource constraints and are typically done on an as-needed basis.

Criteria for Assessment

• Feasibility Criteria: Included cost, resources, partnership engagement, information availability, policy barriers, and timelines.
• Desirability Criteria: Included relevance to program priorities, information quality, and action impacts.
• Rating Scale: A five-point ordinal scale was used for most criteria, with higher scores indicating more favorable conditions for implementation.

Conclusion

The report concludes that NIOSH should prioritize actions that are both feasible and desirable, particularly those that can be achieved through extramural funding. Action 1.1, which involves developing concise definitions and profiling agricultural worker populations, is recommended as the top priority due to its high value and lower cost. Action 5.2, which involves evaluating existing data sources, is also highly desirable and can be implemented through cooperative agreements. The report highlights the need for continued collaboration with partners and the importance of addressing emerging issues in agricultural safety and health.

Key Information

• High-Injury Rates: Farmworkers face higher injury and illness rates than workers in other hazardous industries.
• Child Vulnerability: Children working on farms are a vulnerable population with significant risk of injury and illness.
• Surveillance Importance: Surveillance is essential for understanding and addressing agricultural worker safety and health.
• NIOSH's Mission: To develop and transfer knowledge in occupational safety and health to improve worker well-being.
• Recommendations: Include defining populations at risk, reviewing data sources, analyzing and reporting findings, and addressing emerging issues through partnerships and research.

References

• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII).
• U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Census of Agriculture.
• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) AgFF Program.
• RAND Corporation's Infrastructure Resilience and Environmental Policy program.