CHILDHOOD AGRICULTURAL INJURY PREVENTION INITIATIVE

Using the ASHBMP Manual as a Tool to Reduce Farm Hazards

NIOSH Extramural Award: FY 2000 Announcement #R01-0H-00-001

Title: Using the ASHBMP Manual as a Tool to Reduce Farm Hazards

Investigator: Malcom Legault, Ph.D.

Affiliation: Pennsylvania State University

City and State: University Park, PA

Award Number: 1 R01 OH004210-01

Start & End Date: 9/30/2000-9/29/2001

Description:

This project will include working with two audiences - youth and their parents. Both are found working on farms and as such, both are exposed to the same farm hazards. It is postulated that youth may influence their parents in reducing farm hazards. This project will allow an evaluation of this postulate. This project addresses Goal 1 (Develop new or enhance existing control technologies) of the Research Goals of this RFA by developing and experimentally evaluating a youth oriented version of the Agricultural Safety and Health Best Management Practices (ASHBMP) Manual. A previous study, Adult ASHBMP Study, showed the original (Adult) ASHBMP Manual to be effective in reducing hazard levels when used by adult farmers. This study will investigate the use of the concept of the ASHBMP Manual by 12 to 15 year old farm resident youth to reduce farm hazard levels. The Adult ASHBMP Manual has a reading level of Grade 11. A Youth ASHBMP Manual will be developed that will have a reading level of Grade 6. The research objectives for this developmental project are to: Determine the effect of the Adult and Youth ASHBMP Manuals and youth-parent interaction about safety topics in modifying safety behaviors on the farm; Determine the effects of using the visually-oriented ASHBMP as a hazard audit tool for reducing hazards on farms; Determine the relative effectiveness of youth use of the Adult ASHBMP Manual as compared to adults; and to Evaluate inter-rater reliability and internal consistency of the Adult and Youth ASHBMP Manuals as an auditing tool for use by youth. Before the evaluative process can be accomplished, the Youth ASHBMP must be developed. Also, in this study safety factsheets are used for the control measure. These fact sheets are the ones used in the Adult ASHBMP Study. Youth oriented fact sheets will be developed, as a second control measure, and used in the evaluation of the Youth ASHBMP Manual. It is very expensive to print large quantities of a paper-based manual. After completion of this study, funds will not be available for duplication. But, even though the up-front costs can be high developing the Youth ASHBMP into an interactive CD-ROM is an economical choice. Recordable CD’s are less than $1.50 and a paper manual would be about $30. Therefore, the last objective of this study is to develop the Youth ASHBMP into a CD-ROM.