International Dairy Health and Safety

Details

• Personal Author:
  Colosio C ; Lundqvist P ; Reynolds SJ
• Description:
  Dairy has had a transformational impact on humans. Most mammals lose the ability to digest lactose after infancy. Between 5000 and 10,000 years ago, the LCT (lactase) gene underwent rapid evolution in human population in northern Europe, eastern Africa, and the Middle East, allowing domesticated milk products to become an important dietary staple. Adaptation of improved plows and changes in the way work was organized allowed the Nordic countries to develop a successful dairy export industry in the 13th century. This dairy industry (structure) was well positioned to meet the increased demand from smaller populations left in Europe following the Black Death (1347-1351). Development of mechanical milking technology and pasteurization in the 19th century was another milestone, greatly increasing efficiency and safety to meet the demand in growing cities. The past two decades have again seen dramatic changes in the dairy industry that are playing out on a global scale. Advances in milking technology and dairy animal science have facilitated a rapid increase in the size of dairy herds. Operations with 400 to 5000 head of milking cows are not uncommon in the United States, European Union, China, Russia, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. Given the economies of scale, this trend is spreading worldwide as the demand for dairy protein grows. Expanding dairy production has required a larger workforce, most often consisting of immigrant labor, often with little experience in agriculture. Dairy farming is also among the most dangerous occupations, with high rates of injury, illness, and employee turnover. For dairy farmers trained to manage cows, the operation of a modern dairy employing a large immigrant workforce is a daunting challenge. The global market is highly competitive. To succeed, the dairy industry must sustain a healthy, productive workforce. In 2009, the High Plains Intermountain Center for Agricultural Health and Safety (HICAHS) partnered with the Southwest Center for Agricultural Health, Injury Prevention, and Education (SWAG) to host the High Plains and Mountain Region Dairy Health and Safety Workshop, October 15-16, 2009, in Denver, Colorado. In addition to HICAHS and SWAG personnel, workshop attendees included faculty from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, dairy extension specialists, dairy owners and managers, dairy equipment manufacturer, workers' compensation provider, and dairy producer organizations. Results of this workshop made it clear that we needed to go beyond our previous etiological and formative work to take the next steps in addressing the dairy industry's need for more comprehensive occupational health and safety programs, including risk assessment, surveillance, health care delivery, and effective interventions. It was also quite clear that this was a global need. In response, we organized an International Dairy Research Consortium to collaborate with other international researchers involved in improving the health and safety of dairy workers. Our first meeting was in Colorado in July 2011. This consortium is intended to facilitate collaborations and to share successful injury and illness prevention strategies, tested dissemination channels, and novel approaches used to improve the health and safety of dairy workers globally. Such leveraging of resources will augment dairy research efforts and lead to greater impact regionally, nationally, and internationally. To date, members of the consortium represent the United States, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Canada, The Netherlands, Australia, and New Zealand. Seven of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Agriculture Forestry and Fishing Centers are active in the consortium. The goal of this special issue of the Journal of Agromedicine is to provide a comprehensive review of the status of the dairy industry, highlight current occupational health and safety research, and identify knowledge gaps and programmatic needs. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Dairy Products Emigration And Immigration Farmers Livestock Occupational Health Risk Assessment Safety
• Keywords:
  Agricultural Workers Animal Husbandry Workers Cattle Dairy Products Immigrant Workers Injuries Livestock Industry Migrant Workers Risk Management Safety Practices
• ISSN:
  1059-924X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; OSHA Region 6 ; OSHA Region 8 ; Texas
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  179-183
• Volume:
  18
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20052141
• Citation:
  J Agromedicine 2013 Jul; 18(3):179-183
• Contact Point Address:
  Stephen J. Reynolds, PhD, Director, HICAHS, Campus Delivery 1681, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1681, USA
• Email:
  Stephen.Reynolds@colostate.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2013
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  Colorado State University - Ft. Collins
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20030915
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Agromedicine
• End Date:
  20270914
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:16733e7dddbd8be1c7fb252f1aa8433c08617df3c7d4067c893bc842cbe98af79eee5e4fd72f810305a9e46f5f3fef512aa27141c2b1e00eb2eb60334e32e9eb
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/211730/cdc_211730_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 266.46 KB ]