T.
Scharf, M.A. Veazie, P.S. Kidd
Agricultural Safety and Health Detection, Prevention and Intervention
Conference, Columbus, OH
This
presentation reports the results of a continuing collaboration
between researchers at the College of Nursing, University
of Kentucky, the Division of Safety Research, NIOSH, and the
Division of Biomedical and Behavioral Science, NIOSH. A working
model of farm family stress and injury is proposed and discussed.
In addition, researchers in the Department of Preventive Medicine,
Ohio State University (C.A. Heaney and M. Elliott) are developing
portions of the model into a structured instrument to systematically
examine work environment stressors and acute stress reactions
in family farming.
The
working model of farm family stress and injury is a direct
outgrowth of the literature(s) on occupational stress, safety,
and injury, combined with a qualitative analysis of nine farmer
focus group interviews conducted in Kentucky. Basic concepts
in the model include: 1) the physical and organizational work
environment, 2) safety demand features of the work environment,
3) assessments or judgments regarding the work environment
by farmers, 4) decision making, 5) acute stress reactions
- both physiological and psychological, 6) chronic strain,
7) safety performance, i.e., worker behavior related to safety,
8) safety margin or outcome, including the possibility of
an incident or injury, and 9) individual factors, including
skill.
The
concepts and paths in the model are examined cross-sectionally
and longitudinally. Paths in the model illustrate hypothesized
relationships across the concepts. Principal hypotheses in
the model suggest:
- when
farmers are fatigued, they may fail to adjust adequately
to a changing work environment (e.g., increased safety demand),
and their safety performance may not accommodate the more
hazardous conditions; and
- major
financial, workload, and work (and safety) environment planning
decisions (e.g., commodity decisions, size of operation,
purchases, etc.) have a significant impact on the day-to-day
job demands of farm work. These impacts may create or exacerbate
mental overload and other stressful work experiences, as
well as other risk factors for chronic strain and injury.
By connecting
immediate experiences of farm stress and injury to major precursors
(i.e., presumed causal variables) in the farm work environment,
it is possible to shift the focus of prevention activities
in agricultural safety and health toward creating and maintaining
a less stressful and safer work environment. This perspective
broadens the dimensions of primary prevention in interventions
in farm safety and health.
Disclaimer
and Reproduction Information: Information in NASD does not represent
NIOSH policy. Information included in NASD appears by permission
of the author and/or copyright holder. More
NASD Review: 04/2002
This
research abstract was extracted from a portion of the proceedings
of "Agricultural Safety and Health: Detection, Prevention and
Intervention," a conference presented by the Ohio State University
and the Ohio Department of Health, sponsored by the Centers
for Disease Control/National
NIOSH,
Cincinnati, OH; NIOSH, Morgantown, WV; and University of Kentucky,
Lexington, KY respectively.
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