Vol 6., No. 5, May 2005

 Contents

 

THOUGHTS & QUOTES

Just a reminder that summer brings with it its set of hazards to be aware of –- including insects, poisonous plants, heat, humidity, using power and hand tools, grilling, swimming, etc. -- and of course the weather. Summers are for fun, and please do have fun. It is a lot more fun if you or your family members do not get hurt. So just be aware of your surroundings and what you are working with or doing. The fact sheet that we developed for our Florida visitors for having fun in the sun is at <www.flagsafe.ufl.edu>. Just click on "Lehtola’s Publications" and then click on “Other”. You may want to pass this along to your friends and relatives who will be visiting this summer and are not familiar with Florida.

Applications for Progressive Farmer Day Camps for 2006 are due July 15. For more information see: <http://www.farmsafetyday.com/Pages/VisitorHomePage.php>.

With summer activities in full swing, it may be a good time to check your records for when you last had a tetanus shot -- shots for adults are recommended every 10 years. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has a helpful article that describes what tetanus is and how it can be contracted -- by means other than just stepping on rusty nails. See <http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/696_tet.html> for more information. Also, now is a good time to remind people about the importance of updating their pets' shots –- especially rabies. This is also important in case you are forced to evacuate with your pets.

Wishing you a safe and happy summer!

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June is National Safety Month

This year’s theme for the National Safety Council’s National Safety Month is "Safety: Where We Live, Work, or Play." Information can be found at: <http://www.nsc.org/nsm/>. If you work with safety in your community or organization you may want to check out their Planner’s Page. Their Web page will be updated with topics throughout the month. However, it does provide a means for you to enter your e-mail address if you want to be directed to the new material as it becomes available.

 
   

Each year, more than 20 million Americans suffer disabling injuries. Another 100,000 die from their injuries. Nearly two-thirds of those who die are workers or their family members.

Your workplace, organization, or community can help reduce these numbers by promoting on- and off-the-job safety and health to employees during National Safety Month and throughout the year.

Already several informative posters and fact sheets are available at the Web site. Included are such topics as falls, driving, teen driving, proper lifting and aggressive driving.

 

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Lightning Safety Awareness Week June 19-25

Information and facts about Lightning Awareness are available at: <http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/week.htm>. There are great posters, fact sheets, video clips, etc. at this site.

Please visit the multimedia page to see some of the highlights of last year's campaign, including public service announcements with PGA Tour golfers Rocco Mediate and Vijay Singh, soccer star Siri Mullinix, and video clips with some of the other lightning experts who took part in the press conference.

Fact sheets and topics include:

  • Lightning & Lightning Safety- An Introduction
  • Why do some clouds produce lightning and others don't?
  • Lightning Safety Outdoors
  • Safe Shelters & Indoor Safety
  • The Medical Aspects of Lightning

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Riders in Pick-up Truck Beds

The recent death of a 17-year-old Florida youth who was riding in the back of a pick-up truck has sparked renewed interest in possible legislation against this practice. The pick-up was involved in a collision with another vehicle, and the youth was thrown out of the truck. The article discussing this issue can be found at: <http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050422/NEWS/504220596/-1/SPORTS16>.

Youth represent a disproportionate share of pick-up truck cargo area occupant deaths. Raising awareness about cargo area safety is critical given the increasing popularity of pick-up trucks for personal use. Fact sheets, posters, and other information about this topic can be obtained from the National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety at: <http://research.marshfieldclinic.org/children/Resources/Vehicles/KidsandPickups.htm>. Included are links to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Web site that includes posters and mirror hang-tags that remind people that ‘Kids Aren’t Cargo.'

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Safety Information for Summer Jobs for Teens

To find out information about safety and age restrictions for various types of summer jobs, visit this OSHA Web site which is very informative: <http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/youth/summerjobs/>. Included are several types of work, including what teens can and cannot do in agriculture -– some of the information is also provided in Spanish.

Labor department statistics show that teens have two to three times as many job-related injuries as adults. This is most likely due to a lack of awareness of the hazards associated with their jobs. They also would perhaps be more intimidated to mention to their employer if they feel they are being asked to perform an unsafe task.

The overall site by OSHA that addresses teen work questions, including child labor laws for each state, is <http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/teenworkers/>. Topics included are:

  • Youth in Agriculture eTool
  • Teen Worker Safety in Restaurants eTool
  • Real Stories (of severe injuries and fatalities)

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CDC Report about Anhydrous Ammonia Used in Meth Labs

CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) dated April 15, 2005 contains the article, Anhydrous Ammonia Thefts and Releases Associated with Illicit Methamphetamine Production -- 16 States, January 2000-June 2004. It can be obtained at: <http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5414a4.htm>.

Anhydrous ammonia is used as a fertilizer in agriculture or as a coolant in food procesing facilities. It can be very harmful if released into the atmosphere. Releases have occurred in instances of theft. The report describes the hazards associated with anhydrous ammonia and also provides information about things that can be done. The main thing is making sure of the security of the product and not allowing ready access to ‘persons unknown.’

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Measures to Prevent Diseases Associated with Animals in Public Settings

CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) dated March 25, 2005 contains a Compendium of Measures to Prevent Disease Associated with Animals in Public Settings, 2005. This report can be downloaded (PDF format) at: <http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/rr/rr5404.pdf>.

After the end of the 13-page report, there is a CDC-sponsored Continuing Education Activity. This can be used to get CEUs, CME or CNE credits, and can be done on-line at no cost.

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GAO Report on Agricultural Biosecurity

The U.S. GAO report to Congress entitled Homeland Security, Much Is Being Done to Protect Agriculture from a Terrorist Attack, but Important Challenges Remain, March 2005 has been released. The complete report and abstracts are available at: <http://www.gao.gov/docsearch/repandtest.html>. Since it is about 90 pages in length, some key plusses and challenges are listed below for quick reference.

What has been done:

  • First, the Homeland Security Act of 2002 established DHS and, among other things, charged it with coordinating U.S. efforts to protect against agroterrorism. The act also transferred a number of agency personnel and functions into DHS to conduct planning, response, and recovery efforts.
  • Second, the President signed a number of presidential directives that further define agencies’ specific roles in protecting agriculture.
  • Finally, Congress passed legislation that expanded the responsibilities of USDA and Human and Health Services (HHS) in relation to agriculture security.

The agencies are coordinating development of plans and protocols to better manage the national response to terrorism, including agroterrorism, and, along with several states, have conducted exercises to test these new protocols and their response capabilities.

Federal agencies also have been conducting vulnerability assessments of the agriculture infrastructure; have created networks of laboratories capable of diagnosing animal, plant, and human diseases; have begun efforts to develop a national veterinary stockpile that intends to include vaccines against foreign animal diseases; and have created new federal emergency coordinator positions to help states develop emergency response plans for the agriculture sector.

Challenges:

The United States still faces complex challenges that limit the nation's ability to respond effectively to an attack against livestock. For example, USDA would not be able to deploy animal vaccines within 24 hours of an outbreak as called for in a presidential directive, in part because the only vaccines currently stored in the United States are for strains of foot and mouth disease, and these vaccines need to be sent to the United Kingdom (U.K.) to be activated for use. There are also management problems that inhibit the effectiveness of agencies' efforts to protect against agroterrorism. For instance, since the transfer of agricultural inspectors from USDA to DHS in 2003, there have been fewer inspections of agricultural products at the nation's ports of entry.

EDEN PLANT BIOSECURITY MANAGEMENT COURSE

This might be a good time to remind folks about the EDEN Plant Biosecurity Management Course.

This course is available on-line (a link to the course can be found on the left-hand side of the EDEN homepage: <www.eden.lsu.edu>). This course is designed for Extension advisors, agents, and specialists who understand the urgency of plant protection and will have the opportunity to teach plant biosecurity management to those involved in the U.S. agricultural sector. This course will prepare you with the knowledge and skills necessary to teach others in your community how to:

  • Prepare for a plant biosecurity event
  • Appropriately respond to and recover from a plant biosecurity event
  • Reduce the effects of future plant biosecurity events.

The entire course can be completed on-line. However, if you would prefer to have a CD-ROM of the course, contact the EDEN representative in your state. A list of representatives can be found at the EDEN Web site given above.

The GAO report re: Homeland security and ag – the page that is currently listed is updated daily – so the ag report can either be found by searching under topics (homeland security dated March 8, 2005) or can be found at: <http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05214.pdf>.

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What's New on NASD

Check out the What’s New section on the National Ag Safety Database: <www.cdc.gov/nasd>. Videos that can be viewed in their entirety include “Helping Four-legged Friends Survive the Storm” which is about preparing pets and livestock for disasters. Also included in its entirety is the “Livestock Handling for Kids” video in Spanish. The English version is also available on NASD.

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SAFETY NEWS & NOTES is an e-mail newsletter prepared by Carol J. Lehtola, Extension Agricultural Safety Specialist and team leader for the Prevention and Preparedness: Agricultural Safety & Disaster Management program. Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, UF/IFAS. If you have safety- or disaster-related questions or ideas that you would like to share with other agents, please contact Dr. Lehtola. If you know someone interested in receiving this newsletter, we will gladly add them to the e-mail list. Past issues of Safety News & Notes are archived on the Florida AgSafe Web site.