Safety perceptions and PPE provision of thoroughbred farm representatives.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bundy H ; Clouser J ; Swanberg J
• Description:
  Objectives: Agriculture, particularly animal agriculture, is one of the leading industries for occupational illness or injury. Although some of the inherent risks associated with working in agriculture may be well understood by farm operators, safety behaviors do not always follow. Few studies have looked at the relationship of managements' risk perception and subsequent provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) in large animal operations. This qualitative study aimed to describe: 1) the risk perceptions of thoroughbred farm management representatives, 2) the personal protective equipment (PPE) provided by farms, and 3) the factors that influence farms' provision of personal protective equipment. Methods: Thirty-five representatives from 26 farms participated in a 1-4 hour, face-to-face, semi-structured interview covering topics such as farm characteristics, workforce demographics, work organization factors (e.g., job tasks, scheduling practices), perceived risks associated with horse work, and perspectives and provision of PPE. Constant comparative analysis was utilized in order to ground emergent themes in the original text of the transcripts and themes were culled and democratically agreed upon by team members in weekly meetings. Preliminary Results: Representatives of thoroughbred farms identified the horse as the most hazardous exposure and horse-related tasks as the most dangerous tasks on thoroughbred farms. Despite this perception, PPE designed to protect against the horse (e.g., helmets, vests, steel-toe boots) was not as commonly provided to workers as PPE designed for non-horse related tasks (e.g., gloves and safety glasses). Factors influencing farms' provision of PPE included: 1) differences in farm size/context, 2) the belief that workers were most important agents in their safety, 3) management's lack of confidence in horse-related PPE's efficacy, and 4) the perception that risk could never be eliminated. Conclusions: Provision of PPE was limited by management's poor perceptions of its efficacy relative to other factors. Future research is needed to understand workers' perception of risks associated with thoroughbred farm work and strategies to minimize exposure to these risks.
• Subjects:
  Accidents, Occupational Air Pollutants, Occupational Air Pollution, Indoor Dust Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Metal Workers Noise, Occupational Occupational Health Preceptorship Safety Workplace

  More +
• Keywords:
  Animal Husbandry Farm Workers Hazard Identification Health Surveys Livestock Industry Management Personnel Personal Protective Equipment PPE Risk Factors
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Abstract
• Place as Subject:
  Kentucky ; OSHA Region 4
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  123
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20053003
• Citation:
  National Occupational Injury Research Symposium 2015, (NOIRS 2015), May 19-21, 2015, Kingwood, West Virginia. Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 2015 May; :123
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  University of Kentucky
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20010930
• Source Full Name:
  National Occupational Injury Research Symposium 2015, (NOIRS 2015), May 19-21, 2015, Kingwood, West Virginia
• End Date:
  20270929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:674f7c3fd1985d33d3e7aef2c20c72a5d65ba9f765e3c4e16593b6f253cbcb1c73ae28305d3a0157a7a8dd640cb262a84b6b0da46285e030aa30f7c4e508cc54
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/181736/cdc_181736_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 286.41 KB ]