Pesticide Safety Behaviors and Resources Utilized Among Midwest College Students

Details

• Personal Author:
  Soupene VA
• Description:
  Although pesticides are widely used in agriculture throughout the midwestern United States, they are considered an occupational hazard. Pesticide safety training and personal protective equipment (PPE) are used to reduce pesticide exposure; however, little is known about whether young agricultural workers receive training, utilize methods to control exposure, and understand their roles in the pesticide application process. Furthermore, little is known about what information resources they utilize to find information about pesticides and whether risk-taking attitudes may impact safety behaviors of young agricultural workers. A survey was conducted to address these gaps. Young agricultural workers were recruited through three collegiate agricultural programs. Among all study participants (n=106), 35.8% had experience applying pesticides with most (65.8%) applying pesticides two or more times in the past year. Most participants who applied pesticides reported receiving pesticide training (76.3%), always wearing gloves (60.5%), and always wearing long pants (76.3%). Most participants also reported never wearing respirators (44.7%) or protective suits (52.6%), but this is likely due to the types of pesticides used and methods of application that do not require these forms of PPE. Almost half (47.4%) were never responsible for making the decision to apply; rather, parents (36.8%) and employers (35.1%) made the decision to apply. Among all participants, the internet was the most utilized source to find information about pesticides (76.4%), with the most common internet resources being university or college (71.6%), the government (69.1%), or pesticide companies (66.7%). Accessibility (90.6%) and speed (78.3%) were the most common reasons for using the internet for information. Misinformation was the most common barrier (80.2%). No statistical significance was found when comparing risk-taking attitudes and safety behaviors. Although findings were limited by sample size, this study was the first step in identifying pesticide safety practices employed (e.g., glove use) by young agricultural workers and how they use the internet for pesticide information. Future studies should continue to examine how young agricultural workers utilize pesticide safety and acquire pesticide information. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Behavior Insecticides Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Safety
• Keywords:
  Agricultural Workers Personal Protective Equipment Pesticides And Agricultural Chemicals PPE Safety Practices Young Workers
• Publisher:
  University of Iowa
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Thesis
• Place as Subject:
  Iowa ; OSHA Region 7
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-77
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20068885
• Citation:
  Iowa City, IA: University of Iowa, 2021 May; :1-77
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2021
• Performing Organization:
  University of Iowa
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Pesticide safety behaviors and resources utilized among Midwest college students
• End Date:
  20290630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:897f8b32c0daaa36e2f9ad54b14cace0160f5a8f59e08c647fc4101da78c790cd06bf3663f7bd5f115b0dd36f05dd192f13d753c21a172113f676fe9adb29085
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/207450/cdc_207450_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 827.16 KB ]