Your Input Needed about ATV Incidents

At this summer’s NIFS conference, a question was raised about the numbers of ATV injuries or fatalities that have occurred while the person was doing agriculture-related work. The more we discussed, the more we realized that we really had no "feel" for the answer to this question. We decided that the best idea would be to ask safety and extension workers for their help to begin to get a handle on the numbers.

If you hear of any incidents of ATV injuries or deaths that occur in the course of agricultural activities, please make a note to send me info about such incidents. This will be useful for determining directions for training materials etc. Send e-mail to Dr. Carol Lehtola at clehtola@ufl.edu. Thanks.

Teacher’s Resource Kit for Ag Safety

We have now packaged our Ag Teacher's Resource Kit so that teachers can access all the materials on-line (see the background information below). Please make use of what you can and disregard what doesn’t apply in your area. Check back as we will offer updates from time to time. Teachers are encouraged to submit examples of how they have adapted materials for use in their classrooms -– especially as relates to teaching to competencies and other core requirements.

Background Information: The Ag Teacher's Resource Kit was developed for majors in the University of Florida's Agricultural Education and Communication Department. It was presented to them before they went out for their first student-teaching assignments. The Kit has now become a standard part of the course “Special Methods in Teaching Agriculture.”

Students are presented with the materials assembled in a 3" binder. A 2-hour block of time is allocated during which the contents are described and reviewed. Recommendations or examples are also discussed for how the materials can be used in the classroom (this could include examples you send in!).

The Kit has also been used as the basis of a workshop for teachers already in the field. In summer 2005, a 2-day workshop was held at the University of Florida for middle, junior high and senior high school teachers. In addition to distributing and presenting the Kit, attendees actually worked through several of the activities as if they were students.

The resources listed are available for download from the Web. Use the links to make your own "Safety Resource Kit" notebook. Our workshop participants have noted that it is very useful to have these items assembled in one place. You can then adapt these materials for use in your program, e.g., to meet requirements for core competencies.

Resources are listed with a brief annotation about their contents. In order to make it easier to assemble a kit, links are also provided for a cover and an update or new materials page.

Motorist & Farm Equipment Collisions

It may be time again to provide information addressing the hazard of John Q. Public (JQP) motorist and farm equipment on public roads. Lately on Google daily alert messages, there have been several reports of fatalities or serious injuries after motorists have collided with farm equipment. Frequently, these collisions occur when the motorist is passing and the farm equipment turns left. Often JQP has no concept of how to share the road with farm equipment. Encourage that information be passed along for the motoring public –- via news releases, PSAs, etc. This is a time of year in many parts of the country where commodities are being transported from field to market and road travel by agricultural vehicles is increased.

The following brochures and PSA scripts were produced by the National Safety Council for Farm Safety and Health Week in 2001, which focused on the theme of use of public roadways and encounters between motorists and agricultural machinery. Publications include:

• Web pages and brochures
  • National Farm Safety and Health Week...Not Just for Farmers Anymore (General Description)
  • Information for Agricultural Producers
  • Information for Motorists
  • Pedestrians & Bicyclists
• Public Service Announcements (30- to 60-second scripts)
  • For Rural Residents (30- to 60-second scripts)
  • For General Public (30- to 60-second scripts)
  • For Agricultural Producers
• Narrative story activities (from University of Kentucky)
  • "No Way to Meet a Neighbor"
  • "Foggy Morning Meeting"

Hayrides, Mazes, and Ghostly Tales & Prevent Fall Activities’ Falls

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons offers the following information:

• Keeping Trick-or-treaters' Skeletons Safe
• Ladder use during fall fix-ups
• Prevent Injuries While Raking Leaves

Hayride and Haunted house activity safety is provided by the International Association of Haunted Attractions.

Several reminders for safety during fall activities was provided in the November/December 2005 issue of SN&N.

Updated Skid-Steer Loader Manual

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) has updated its skid-steer safety manual and now also offers the manual in a convenient bilingual Spanish-English version. The manual is designed for operators, maintenance personnel and other job-site workers involved with skid-steer loaders. It has been updated to cover track type as well as wheeled machines. For other skid-steer loader resources, refer to June 2006 SN&N.

Building Safer Homes -- FLASH for Consumers and Builders

The Federal Alliance for Safe Homes -- FLASH, Inc. -- is a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization dedicated to promoting disaster safety and property loss mitigation.

FLASH produces a wide variety of materials and programs that focus on educating consumers and building professionals about the importance of strengthening homes and safeguarding families from disaster. The list of programs can be found in the Programs section of their Web site.

The "Teach Me" Teaching Method

In issue #314 of Safety Stuff, a safety trainer tells about a technique that she found to be successful. Her company is a cast-iron foundry and, obviously, heat is a year-round concern. During the humid summer months, things can get pretty rough!

During a recent training, she let the workers know right off the bat that she wasn’t qualified from personal, in-the-field experience to teach them about heat stress. She did not want them to view the trainer as someone coming in from an air-conditioned office and trying to teach about situations she had not experienced.

Her approach was to ask them to go through the training materials and correct whatever they felt was wrong and make suggestions for additions to the materials. Basically, she asked them to "teach me" about dealing with heat stress.

Even these tough, foundry men that barely grunt a hello became very vocal about the topic. They take great pride in their work and the fact that they are able to do it. They shared a great deal about what they experience in the heat and how to cope with it, what to tell new workers, and how to prepare for work and recover afterwards. Many of the ideas were well articulated and were obviously the products of much thought and attention.

The result was that the seasoned foundry workers really got into sharing their knowledge and know-how. Recent hires jumped in with questions and what-ifs that furthered the conversation. The workers left the training room in small groups discussing tips and tricks for dealing with the heat.

Opening up the floor for the workers to teach the trainer and each other worked very well and resulted in a very engaging and involved training session. Those "in the know" taught the class and many gained from their wisdom and experience.

(Adapted from the on-line newsletter "Safety Stuff "by Richard Hawk Inc. Issue # 314, August 2, 2006. More teaching tips can be found at his Make Safety Fun Web site.)

Promoting Commercial Fishing Industry Safety and Health

The proceedings of the Second International Fishing Industry Safety and Health Conference are now available on-line from NIOSH.

In the proceeding’s foreword, it is stated that the safety of commercial fishermen should be a high priority. Although they work in an extremely harsh environment, safety measures such as safer vessels and survival training for workers can be encouraged. The proceedings includes additional recommendations for promoting commercial fishing industry safety.

Jeopardy Game Posted

Instructions and questions for our Safety/Jeopardy training game have been posted on the Florida AgSafe Web site.

Questions are posted for the following topics:

• Head over Wheels (Tractor Overturn, Set 1)
• One Lump or Two? (General PPE, Set 1)
• Poultry Seasoning (Hazards in the Poultry Industry, Set 1)
• Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (Fire Safety, Set 1)
• Gotta Go Joe! (Shortcuts Don't Save Time, Set 1)
• Got Juice? (Electrical Safety, Set 1)
• One Good Turn Deserves Another (Defensive Driving, Set 1)
• Too Hot to Handle (Heat Stress & Sun Safety, Set 1)
• Potpourri (Miscellaneous, Set 1)
• Twist and Shout (Strains, Sprains, Bending, Lifting, Set 1)
• All Dressed Up and No Place to Go! (Working in Confined Spaces, Set 1)
• The Grass is Greener (Lawn and Grounds Maintenance, Set 1)
• An Ounce of Prevention or a Pound of Cure? (Hazard ID and Correction, Set 1)