Mar 18, 2021

Agriculture industry group announces safety leaders

The Agricultural Safety and Health Council of America (ASHCA) has announced awardees in eight categories to be honored for leadership in agricultural safety.

The awards will be presented on the first and third days of the online North American Agricultural Safety Summit, March 22-24. The summit is being hosted by ASHCA with support from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (NIOSH/CDC). The summit is designed to strengthen relationships to identify, test and implement cost-effective, practical safety strategies that enhance the well-being of workers in agriculture.

“We established these safety awards to acknowledge leaders who have made significant contributions to the advancement of worker health and safety,” said Jess McCluer, board chair of ASHCA, and vice president of safety and regulatory affairs at the National Grain and Feed Association. “These individuals and organizations have made positive impacts on the culture of safety in agriculture through safety training, collaboration, promotion, education or research.”

Lifetime Achievement: Barbara Lee, National Farm Medicine Center/National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety, and Dennis Murphy, Penn State University. It is safe to say there wouldn’t be an ASHCA without Lee and Murphy. Both were instrumental in establishing ASHCA in 2007, with Lee going on to serve as the organization’s executive director.

Lee’s experience as an early-career nurse sparked her passion for agricultural health and safety. She directed development of an action plan, leading to the National Childhood Agricultural Injury Prevention Initiative, implemented in 1996 by NIOSH. Lee also chaired major efforts establishing voluntary standards for children’s work in agriculture and for protecting nonworking children, and was recognized by the National Rural Health Association as its 2017 Outstanding Researcher.

Murphy has contributed to agricultural safety and health as an educator, researcher, trainer, author and innovator. Murphy has been involved in academic training of many current-day agricultural safety professionals as well as others in allied disciplines. As a professor at Penn State with the Nationwide Insurance Endowed Professorship, he was at the forefront of university-based training. He has personally mentored both university students and individuals in the private sector such as insurance risk managers. As researchers, both Lee and Murphy have been Principal Investigators on numerous research studies and intervention activities, and both are highly respected internationally for their work.

Agricultural Organization: A.J. Ferguson, Vice President – Membership Analysis and Information Technology, and director of the Farm & Home Safety Program, Utah Farm Bureau Federation. Ferguson provides hands on agricultural safety and health training for workers; advocacy for safety/health of all agricultural communities with a focus on underserved agricultural worker populations; promotion of agricultural worker safety and health by businesses and disciplines (e.g., bankers, veterinarians) in a position to influence on-farm practices; and takes innovative and creative approaches to agricultural safety and health education, interventions and research.

Educator: Dan Neenan, paramedic specialist, firefighter II, Epworth, Centralia & Peosta Iowa Fire Department. Neenan’s dedication to experiential education and outreach has informed farmers, emergency responders and the rural community about hazard prevention and farm worker rescue throughout the Midwest and beyond. Neenan has developed innovative hands-on training that addresses the deadly hazards of grain engulfment, manure gases and anhydrous ammonia release. Neenan can document that 19 lives have been saved by participants who have completed his grain rescue program.

Farm/Ranch Owner 1: Annette Anderson, Safety Officer, Table Rock Farm, Inc., Castile, N.Y. Anderson’s innovative hands-on safety and health training programs enhance the safety of 35 full- and part-time team members on this dairy operation. Audits, contests, posters and “safety minute” meetings contribute to a culture of safety. In addition to her work on the farm, Anderson brings her training and topics to her 4-H group and her Junior Firefighters.

Farm/Ranch Owner 2: Tom and Laura Heffron, Belding, Mich., have “shown their dedication to fair work practices and dignified treatment of their farm laborers,” states the nomination. “When COVID hit, they were the first to step up as examples to the rest of their industry, developing a safety plan that included the unique needs of their workforce who live, work and travel in close quarters.” The Heffrons’ hands-on training includes adoption of wide-scale ag safety and health practices and advocacy for the safety and health of underserved agricultural worker populations.

Policymaker/Legislature: Rep. Brandon Reed, 24th Kentucky Legislative District. Reed, in his second term, has been a strong advocate for agricultural health and safety. Of special note is his recently passed legislation providing $500,000 to provide awareness, support and services for farmer mental health. Reed has also sponsored several resolutions that keep the agricultural community in the public eye and highlight the work, challenges, policies and economic contributions of agriculture in Kentucky.

Safety/Health Researcher: Anna Meyerhoff, bilingual safety specialist, New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health, Bassett Healthcare Network. It is not easy holding the attention of farmworkers who have just completed a long day of labor, but Meyerhoff does just that with education that is clear, interesting, thought-provoking and eye-catching. Her background includes 13 years with NYCAMH, 12 years of dairy farming and a year-plus studying in Central America, which provided insights on educational and socio-cultural background of many workers she serves today.

WCF Insurance Research to Practice Collaboration Award: Mike Keenan, loss control and safety consultant, Gallagher Insurance Agency, Omaha, Neb. Keenan exemplifies how collaboration, dedication to the health and safety of workers and hard work can create great research, outreach and improved outcomes. His clients include swine producers, dairy operations, cattle feeders, feed mills and grain elevators. In addition to his “day” job, Keenan serves on committees of numerous organizations that share a common goal of protecting the health and safety of workers. As a trusted safety professional, Keenan helped the Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health (CS-CASH) gain access to cattle feedyards for research. Keenan cares deeply about the safety of workers, and has spent hundreds of uncompensated hours to help make the feedyard project a success. A life-long learner, Keenan has completed the Agricultural Medicine CORE course and attended/presented at the ASHCA, International Society for Agricultural Safety and Health (ISASH) and Midwest Rural Agricultural Safety and Health (MRASH) conferences. Keenan is also dedicated to nurturing the next generation of safety professionals, mentoring three students who now work for Gallagher.

The interactive, virtual summit will feature:

A fast-paced program with well-known speakers including John Howard, M.D., director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), part of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Tools of the Trade,” learning labs with live demonstrations of safety resources and training programs.
Research poster session with lightning talks.
Special screening of the movie “Silo” and panel discussion with its producer.

For the full agenda, and to register as an attendee, sponsor or exhibitor, visit here.

ASHCA, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization established in 2007, is a coalition of agricultural business leaders, producer associations, risk managers and others joining together with safety associations, federal and state agencies, educational institutions and safety professionals.