Employer Policies
The goal of this project is to develop, evaluate, and disseminate an online training for those who train, supervise or hire young agricultural workers.
Specific Aims
- Integrate safety, health promotion, and policies into an online training program for supervisors of young agricultural workers.
- Evaluate the online training in a randomized-control trial with supervisors of young agricultural workers.
- Disseminate the online training through employer and commodity groups, NIOSH agricultural safety and health programs, and Extension (includes eXtension).
The online training consists of three components: Safety Guidelines for Hired Adolescent Farm Workers (SAGHAF), training addressing health behaviors (e.g., sleep, stress, substance use, and distracted behaviors), and policies that address health protection and health promotion. Training materials were developed in both Spanish and English. An efficacy trial was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the online training. In addition to the online training, classroom exercises, training materials, and short videos are freely available.
The free online training and additional materials can be accessed here: https://hwc.public-health.uiowa.edu/protecting-young-ag-workers/
Feedback from training participants was positive:
“Really good information; things I’ll be able to use when working with youth on our farm. We are very aware of what a dangerous line of work we are in!” -Iowa Farmer
“I have completed the training and thought the training information was presented well and would like my supervisors to also participate. I also like that there is a Certificate of Training Completion available once the training is complete.” -HR Manager
“I am impressed with the high quality of the writing, organizational structure of the material, and the insight of the key messaging.” -Senior Safety Consultant