Alvaro D. Taveira

Evaluation of an Occupational Injury Intervention Among Wisconsin Dairy Farmers

OBJECTIVES Dairy farming injury rates are high. Previous agricultural research has shown that better information flow can speed adoption of more profitable practices. We conducted and evaluated an intervention to increase voluntary adoption of three production practices that were safer and more profitable than typical practices: barn lights, bag silos, and a mixing site for calf feed. METHODS Print mass media, public events, university Extension, and dairy farmers already using the practices were all enlisted to disseminate information to 4,300 northeast district Wisconsin dairy farmers. Evaluation questionnaires were mailed to independent samples of farm managers before (n = 582) and after (n = 572) the 12 month long intervention. RESULTS After the intervention, more managers reported getting information about barn lights from public events (12% vs. 23%) and private consultants (8% vs. 17%) and about silo bags from print media (79% vs. 87%) and private consultants (9% vs. 14%). More managers were aware of barn lights (48% vs. 72%) and the calf feed mixing site (44% vs. 56%). There was a nonsignificant tendency for more managers to report adopting barn lights (12% vs. 23%). CONCLUSIONS Improving information flow to operation managers about safer, more profitable production practices may be a relatively easy way to supplement conventional injury control efforts in high-hazard industries.

Musculoskeletal discomfort, injuries, and tasks accomplished by children and adolescents in Wisconsin fresh market vegetable production

Little or no research is available about the tasks that children and adolescents perform in small scale, fresh market vegetable production. A mail questionnaire was administered in an exploratory study to an age-stratified, convenience sample of children and adolescents age 5 to 18 (n = 81) who were working on Wisconsin fresh market vegetable operations. Children and adolescents reported averaging 349 hours of farm work last year. Youths completed over 1/5 of all the tractor operation and produce loading and unloading that was completed by adults or children on their farms; 1/7 of the weeding, produce washing, and packing; and 1/12 of the hand harvesting during typical weeks when they worked. Fifty percent of 15-18 year olds reported experiencing low back discomfort in the last year, and 25% reported disabling discomfort. Children and adolescents performed the same range of tasks and often the same scope of work as adults. Further investigation with larger, more representative youth samples is needed to confirm these findings.

Work exposures, injuries, and musculoskeletal discomfort among children and adolescents in dairy farming.

ABSTRACT Little research is available about the specifics of child or adolescent work on dairy farm operations. The objective of this study was to investigate work performed by children and adolescents on these operations. The authors administered mail questionnaires to a community-based, age- and operation size-stratified sample of individuals aged 6 to 18 (n = 240) who worked on dairy operations in Wisconsin. Data were collected in 1999. The 197 children and adolescents reported averaging 567 hours of dairy farm work in the last year (10.9 hours/week) and completed over 1/3 of all calf feeding, 1/5 of the milking, 1/5 of cow feeding, and 1/10 of tractor operation hours on their farm during the weeks they worked. Some of these young workers reported accomplishing duties also judged by some experts as hazardous work, including nearly half of the 9- to 11-year-olds driving tractors. Six nonfatal injuries were reported that required stopping work (14.6 per 100 full time equivalents per year), including those that required medical attention. Musculoskeletal discomfort and disability reports were unremarkable compared to existing studies of general and working populations. Wisconsin dairy farm youth appeared to be working no more hours per week than their peers in other studies of agricultural populations. Adolescents and some children largely performed the same range of tasks and often the same scope of work as adults, including some performing hazardous work. There is a need for further investigations with larger samples of dairy youth to confirm these findings. The exposures of very young workers to hazardous tractor driving and tower silo tasks suggest that there is an urgent need for improved and validated interventions to reduce these exposures.

Intervention to increase adoption of safer dairy farming production practices.

Objectives. We conducted an intervention to increase adoption of three dairy farming practices shown to reduce certain traumatic and musculoskeletal injury hazards. Methods. The intervention disseminated information to 4,300 Wisconsin dairy farm managers about three safer, more profitable production practices (barn lights, bag silos, and calf feed mixing sites) using information channels upon which these managers were known to rely. We evaluated rolling, independent, community-based samples at baseline and after each of two intervention years. We also evaluated a single sample after the interventions second year from 1,200 Maryland dairy farm managers who were exposed only to the interventions nationally distributed print publications, as a “partially exposed” comparison group. Results. In before/after comparisons, Wisconsin managers reported getting more information from print media, public events, and resource people for barn lights and bag silos. Also, Wisconsin managers, in comparison with Maryland managers after the interventions second year, reported getting more barn lights and bag silo information from public events and resource people, but not from print media. Analyses that adjusted for farm manager, farm operation, and herd variables associated the intervention with increased Wisconsin manager adoption of all three practices after the second intervention year: barn lights (odds ratio [OR] = 2.268, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.476, 3.485), bag silos (OR=3.561, 95% CI 2.684, 4.728), and calf feeding sites (OR=2.433, 95% CI 1.059, 5.591). There were also increases in awareness of barn lights and calf feeding sites. Conclusion. Disseminating information to managers through well-known information channels was associated with increased reports of information gathering, adoption, and awareness of safer, profit-enhancing work practices in a high-hazard industry.

The Use and Value of Information Systems as Evaluated by Dairy and Specialty Crop Farm Managers

ABSTRACT Little recent research is available about where specific types of farm managers search for information about better production practices. The objective of this study was to investigate what information sources managers used and how they rated the usefulness of each source. The authors administered mail questionnaires to probability samples from sampling frames they developed for four groups: dairy and fresh market vegetable producers from Wisconsin and berry and nursery producers from a multistate region. Questionnaire items asked operation managers to check off, from a list of information sources, those that they used in the last year to learn about new equipment or procedures to improve their operations and then to rate the usefulness of each source. In the last year, nursery, dairy, and berry managers most often used information from print media (63% to 84%), followed by other farmers (50% to 80%). Fresh market vegetable growers used conferences (60%) most often, followed by print media (41%). The information source rated most useful was “other farmers” for the nursery, dairy, and fresh market vegetable managers. Nursery and fresh market vegetable managers rated conferences as second most useful, whereas dairy managers rated print media second. Berry managers were not asked about usefulness. Farm manager information behavior exhibits some common features but is also specific to their operation type. Research and outreach efforts intending to communicate information to farm managers may be able to be more efficient at reaching and persuading their intended audience if they first investigate manager information behavior.

The Development and Application of an Instrument for Measurement of Quality Institutionalization

In this paper, a questionnaire survey aimed at measuring the institutionalization of Total Quality Management is presented. The core part of the questionnaire is a set of questions on Quality institutionalization that are based on the Malcolm Baldrige award criteria. Data was collected from 494 employees in two public sector organizations in the Midwest. Various analyses were conducted to examine the validity and reliability of the questions on Quality institutionalization. Factor analysis led to the creation of five scales of TQM institutionalization: leadership, human resources, quality processes and results, customer focus, and information and data analysis. Analyses demonstrated the good validity and reliability of the instrument for measuring TQM institutionalization.

A Hazard Analysis of Three Silage Storage Methods for Dairy Cattle

Objectives: The study objective was to characterize work methods, hazards and annual hazard exposure hours of three silage storage methods. Methods: A telephone questionnaire was designed and administered to 24 Wisconsin dairy managers. The exposure durations reported were scaled to a standard-sized dairy herd with equal dry matter tons of silage stored and fed each year. Results: Managers reported no silo gas hazards with either bunker or bag silos. Compared to tower silos, managers reported reduced fall hazards with bunker silos and no fall hazards with bag silos although both introduced front end loader operation injury hazards. Compared to bunkers, managers who used bag silos reported no exposure to tractor overturns. Conclusions: Although some hazards are clearly present using any ensling method, dairy farms that adopt silage bag technology can reduce many of the hazards traditionally associated with silage work.

Impact of Total Quality Management on Work Environment Dimensions: An Empirical Study in the Public Sector

The integration of Total Quality Management (TQM) and human factors has received increasing attention. In particular, the question of how TQM affects macroergonomic issues such as work environment dimensions (i.e. organizational design and culture) needs to be addressed. To this end, this study examines how TQM elements, as defined by the Malcom Baldridge Award, affect four work environment variables. The work variables, Supervisor Support, Task Clarity, Task Orientation, and Innovation, were selected for their theoretical relationship to TQM. Overall, the results indicate that as a group the TQM elements significantly predict the four work environment dimensions. Specific relationships between individual elements of TQM and the work environment dimensions are discussed, and directions for future research are proposed.

Analysis and Design Recommendations for Workstations: A Case Study in an Insurance Company

A case study approach was used to determine the effects of task demands, customer needs, and organizational environment on the recommendations for ergonomic redesign in a large pension and insurance organization. The organization was planning a major renovation of workstations and requested assistance with design and implementation. Three job positions were studied using semi-structured interviews, job observations, and measurements of workstations and the office environment. It was found that most work surfaces and chairs were inadequate for VDT tasks, reception counters presented problems for both the employees and claimants, and the use of shared VDTs on a swivel base resulted in eyestrain and poor postures. In addition, there was inadequate storage space and poor housekeeping for all three jobs, as well as lighting and noise problems throughout the office environment. Recommendations were made for new workstations, with pilot testing to be conducted before full-scale implementation. Although existing workstations were inadequate, it was found that task demands were of greatest concern to the employees.

Computer Input Devices and the Elderly: A Musculoskeletal Disorder Focus

The aging process carries important implications for the design of human-computer interfaces. Decreases in vision, motor control and muscle force combined with a higher vulnerability to musculoskeletal disorders and to degenerative diseases should be taken in consideration when designing and selecting computer input devices for the elderly. This study reviews the recent research literature on computer input devices and their adequacy to the elderly user. Significant findings from evaluative studies are summarized, and recommendations are provided.