Fall 2015 Newsletter MISSION:
To proactively address ongoing and emerging occupational safety and health issues affecting U.S. agriculture.
ASHCA “CAPITOL-IZES” ON GROWTH AND LEADERSHIP
Upcoming Events • Agricultural Personnel
Management Association Meeting (APMA) January 27-29, 2016 – Monterey, CA
• Annual ASHCA
Business Meeting and Federal Agency Roundtable February 2,
2016 – Washington, D.C.
• International Society
for Agricultural Safety and Health
June 26–30, 2016 Lexington, KY
APPLY TODAY
The deadline for safety grant applications is January 7, 2016. The application form is available at www.ashca.org or call the ASHCA office (715) 898-1263.
ASHCA is bursting with energy and has big plans. Strong leadership, new initiatives and a move to Washington, D.C., are signs that ASHCA is committed to its mission of proactively addressing ongoing and emerging issues affecting safety and health in U.S. agriculture. In September, the Board of Directors approved actions that are quickly being set into motion – a management transition plan, appointment of the Board of Governors for the newly established ASHCA Foundation, the “green light” for administering a National Agricultural Safety and Health Hall of Fame. As of January 1, 2016, the ASHCA headquarters will be located in our nation’s capital - Washington, D.C., with Frank Gasperini serving as the new President. According to ASHCA’s Board Chair, Leon Graves, “Frank is the ideal person to take administrative charge of ASHCA. He is well connected to agriculture and has a wealth of experience in association management. Furthermore, he served as ASHCA’s Secretary-Treasurer for the past four years, thus, has a strong grasp of our organization’s financial standing.” Barbara Lee, outgoing Executive Director, indicated “this is a wish come true for ASHCA. It was an honor for us at the National Farm Medicine Center in Marshfield, WI, to serve as the incubator for ASHCA since its inception in 2007. Now that ASHCA has proven itself, its home is rightfully placed in the capital with a respected agricultural leader at the helm.” In preparation for this transition, Leon and Frank visited Marshfield, meeting with key staff and strategizing a transition process to occur over a 5-month period. Communications, membership benefits and key programs such as Safety Grants should not be interrupted by the transition. The most noticeable change will be a new address and increased visibility of the President at major events. ASHCA congratulates Frank on this new position and extends gratitude to Barbara Lee, Kathleen Smith and others on the Marshfield team for facilitating this important step forward.
BOARD CONVENES STRATEGIC PLANNING SESSION Welcome to upstate New York -- let’s meet in a castle! One of the perks of being on ASHCA’s Board of Directors is attending meetings hosted by a fellow Board member who showcases the agriculture in his/her locale and provides an educational tour in conjunction with traditional meeting conversations. Leon Graves and Jan Klodowski teamed up with Dairy Farmers of America to plan a unique experience wrapped around serious, strategic planning.
During the two months leading up to this session, committee chairs proposed directions for future initiatives, including financial considerations. Then the Advisory Council and Executive Committee weighed in on a preliminary draft of the updated plan. The stepwise planning process strived to be SMART – Strategic, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely. “We wanted a roadmap for the next 3-4 years to ensure we stay on course, while being flexible to anticipate changing conditions,” said Leon Graves. The updated strategic plan includes six major goals, addressing national leadership, agricultural safety and health initiatives, communications, and stability. Each goal includes several objectives with their respective strategies. The plan will be reviewed and endorsed by ASHCA members and publicized at the February 2016 Annual Business meeting. Geneva, NY, which is surrounded by dairy farms, apple orchards and wineries, is home of the historic Bellhurst Castle, which provided the lodging and meeting space for the Board. Prior to meetings, attendees visited Muranda Holsteins and sampled their popular raw milk cheese varieties, then toured the Red Jacket Orchard apple cider bottling plant and company store. After meetings adjourned, some attendees stayed to enjoy a tour of three local wineries followed by dinner.
NATIONAL HALL OF FAME FOR AG SAFETY AND HEALTH – COMING SOON!
While there are hundreds of hall of fame venues and categories, there is no established hall of fame in the U.S. that honors “champions” who promote occupational safety and health for agriculture. But that is changing. A task force has been formed and partner organizations are being approached. The formation of a hall of fame was proposed a few years ago and, now, with ASHCA serving as an administrative arm, the concept will become a reality. A “virtual hall” will be located on a website and “owned” by agricultural leaders, farm organizations, professional societies and anyone dedicated to safety and health in U.S. agriculture. During 2016 all protocols will be confirmed and a solicitation of candidates for induction will occur. The inaugural event for The National Agricultural Safety and Health Hall of Fame is tentatively slated for February 2017 in Washington, D.C. For more information and/or to participate on the planning task force, contact Info@ashca.org.
2015 SAFETY GRANTS – PROGRESS REPORTS! Amanda Wickman of Tyler, TX, reports their resource on “Bites, Stings and Venomous Things” was translated into Spanish and transformed for cultural relevancy. It is now gaining traction, having been promoted at the National Association of Farmworker Organizations and the Midwest Migrant Stream Forum. For a downloadable copy of this resource, contact Amanda at Amanda.Wickman@uthct.edu. In Apopka, FL, heat-related stress and ergonomic complications are being reduced among farmworker women, according to project leader, Holly Baker. An ASHCA Safety Grant was used to hire and train a bilingual community health educator. To date more than 700 women have been reached via outreach events and three formal training sessions have occurred. Children of Anabaptist (Amish/ Mennonite) farmers in Pennsylvania are safer now because of an ASHCA Safety Grant. Project leader, Ron Baier, reports the Youth Trauma Prevention Consortium has young people distributing safety resources to Anabaptist farm families, including 125 aerated hay hole covers to combat hay hole fall injuries, 480 safety vests to increase visibility of youth walking on rural roads, and 300 reflective horse halter tube kits to increase visibility of horse-drawn buggies, thus decreasing vehicle collisions. Growers and farmworker supervisors associated with the Western Agricultural Processors Association in Fresno, CA, have benefited from bilingual hazard communication training thanks to an ASHCA grant secured by Roger Isom. In partnership with three other organizations and with guidance from CalOSHA, workshops were convened in four locations, reaching more than 150 workers, all of whom were provided a detailed safety manual for reference on the job. A unique partnership in North Carolina has provided safety training for disabled veterans working in urban gardens. An ASHCA grant, managed by Lovay Wallace-Singleton, has resulted in workshops being provided at eight urban garden sites to veterans who otherwise would not have access to agricultural safety training. Topics ranged from heat illness prevention to farm equipment safety and personal protective equipment.
ASHCA IN ACTION
Each month the ASHCA Board of Directors receives an update of key activities from the administrative team. For the latest updates from ASHCA Executive Director, Barb Lee, search www.ashca.org for ASHCA in Action. Subscribe to our mailing list to get these updates sent right to your inbox! Stay in touch with us at www.ashca.org or like us on Facebook.
NEW MEMBERS Association/Organization: Tri-Media
Branden Bodendorfer Spencer, Wisconsin
Southwest Florida Safety Consulting
Emory Howard LaBelle, Florida
American Trauma Society, PA Division
Judy May-Bennett Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
US Custom Harvesters, Inc. Tracy Zeorian Hutchinson, Kansas
Veterans Employment Base Camp & Organic Garden Lovay Wallace-Singleton New Bern, North Carolina
Individuals: National FFA Organization Steve Brown Alexandria, Virginia
Oregon OSHA Sterling Cobb Salem, Oregon
James G. Parker Insurance Althea Leandro-Farr Salinas, California
University of Iowa Diane Rohlman Iowa City, Iowa
Research Graduate Student Jaime Thissen Champaign, Illinois
Watch your email for 2016 membership dues invoice. Please consider increasing your level of membership and/or making a contribution to the ASHCA Foundation.
This newsletter is a publication of the Agricultural Safety & Health Council of America, P. O. Box 356 • Marshfield, WI 54449
Contact
Phone: 715-898-1263 Fax: 715-898-1264 E-mail: info@ashca.org
ASHCA MEMBER UPDATES Julie Sorenson of the NIOSH-funded Northeast Center for Agricultural Safety in Cooperstown, NY, met with the ASHCA Board of Directors during their September in-person meeting. Discussion centered on two topics: federal funding for agricultural safety and the National Tractor Safety Coalition. Conversation included a status report of efforts to date followed by open discussion on the role and responsibility of agricultural leaders to support coordinated efforts to facilitate and endorse programs at the state and national level. In addition to actual funding, letters of support and interactions with elected representatives were view as valuable indications of endorsement for these causes. Mike Weber of AEM is officially welcomed to the ASHCA Board of Directors by Vice-Chair, Kimberly Naffziger of the Zenith Insurance Brady Miller of Texas Cattle Feeders Association was promoted to Market & Membership Manager. Brady will continue to be responsible for safety activities and maintain his position on the Board of Directors. “Farmworker Housing and Health,” a special issue of New Solutions: A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy, edited by ASHCA member Thomas A. Arcury, has been published. This collection includes six papers on a variety of factors associated with farmworkers, housing and health. For more information contact: tarcury@ wakehealth.edu. Dr. Matt Keifer of the National Farm Medicine Center reports the Journal of Agromedicine editorial board has announced its “2016 Leader in the Field.” Kevin Keaney of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is being acknowledged for a distinguished career in trying to minimize producers’ and farmworkers’ pesticide exposures by updating the Worker Protection Standard (WPS). Safety and Health Management Planning for General Farm and Ranch Operations is now available – a manual to help farmers and ranchers proactively address safety in their operations was developed by the Penn State Agricultural Safety & Health Program, directed by Dennis Murphy. It has five units addressing how to develop a safety policy, identify and evaluate hazards, plan and prioritize hazard prevention and control measures, educate and train workers, and evaluate training programs and resources. The manual is available for purchase. To order a copy of AGRS-123 Safety and Health Management Planning for General Farm and Ranch Operations call 877-345-0691 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Charter & Benefactor Members