Bryan Weichelt

Supplemental surveillance: a review of 2015 and 2016 agricultural injury data from news reports on AgInjuryNews.org

Background Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting industry is the most hazardous occupational sector in the USA. Even with this level of occupational risk, several national and state-level occupational injury surveillance programmes have been eliminated, leaving regional efforts to analyse multiple sources and compile data on agricultural injuries and fatalities. No up-to-date centralised national database for agricultural injuries/fatalities in the USA currently exists. Objective Using the public data on AgInjuryNews.org, this study considered a wide range of variables to examine fatalities and injuries of the industry in 2015 and 2016. The results reported in this paper sought to explore and understand common data elements of US news reports. Methods As of 5 April 2017, more than 3000 articles across 36 years were contained in the dataset. We selected 2 years to review, 2015 and 2016, which represented the most complete years to date; 2015 was the first year in which systematic collection was initiated by the AgInjuryNews.org team. Data were coded based on the Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System source and event/exposure types. Results A total of 1345 victims were involved in 1044 incidents. Leading sources of injuries were vehicles and machinery, and the most common event/exposure type was transportation. Conclusions This study demonstrated that data from AgInjuryNew.org is consistent with previous literature, and it can supply up-to-date data as an open-source surveillance supplement, disseminated for health and safety stakeholders.

Establishing a publicly available national database of US news articles reporting agriculture-related injuries and fatalities

BACKGROUND The AgInjuryNews system and dataset are a news report repository and information source for agricultural safety professionals, policymakers, journalists, and law enforcement officials. METHODS AgInjuryNews was designed as a primary storage and retrieval system that allows users to: identify agricultural injury/fatality events; identify injury agents and emerging issues; provide safety messages for media in anticipation of trends; and raise awareness and knowledge of agricultural injuries and prevention strategies. Data are primarily collected through Google Alerts and a digital media subscription service. Articles are screened, reviewed, coded, and entered into the system. RESULTS As of January 1, 2018, the system contained 3028 unique incidents. Of those, 650 involved youth, and 1807 were fatalities. The system also had registered 329 users from 39 countries. CONCLUSIONS AgInjuryNews combines injury reports into one dataset and may be the most current and comprehensive publicly available collection of news reports on agricultural injuries and deaths.

754 Farm mapping to assist, protect, and prepare emergency responders (farm mapper)

Background Farm Mapping to Assist, Protect and Prepare Emergency Responders (Farm MAPPER) is an interactive web-based tool developed by the NFMC that provides emergency responders onsite information about hazards, resources and physical layouts of agricultural operations. Emergency responders generally do not have right of entry to private farms to map them for future emergencies. Farm MAPPER provides a palate of icons representing items important in emergency events such hazards, access points, water sources, etc., even information on special needs farm residents. Methods The system was developed to allow a farmer to drag and drops icons on an overhead farm map using their computer. Through Farm MAPPER this information is accessible to emergency responders in the fire station, in-route by web connected device, or onsite using QR codes located on post box posts. This knowledge assists responders to efficiently and safely respond to on farm emergencies. MAPPER presently displays icons on Bing maps in an overhead bird’s eye view of the farm. Results The team developed and tested the prototype Farm MAPPER application with local farmers and conducted mock response with the Pittsville fire department using the MAPPER on a volunteer farms. Feedback was received from both groups. Farmers found it easy to use and expressed willingness to map their farms for the benefit of the emergency responders who might use the application. Emergency responders who participated in the mock responses found the application helpful in quickly locating the items that they needed to avoid or employ for their safety and response efficiency. They suggested modifications to the application which have since been incorporated. Conclusions The system was developed to handle geographic diversity, and will be available for worldwide adoption. The team is currently seeking collaborative opportunities to further expand the project reach beyond central Wisconsin.

P092 Algorithmic approach to injured workers: designed for dairy and pork, applicable across industries

Background Agriculture has again been listed as the most dangerous U.S. industry in 2015. Like other large animal production, dairy and pork operations consistently account for serious, restrictive, non-fatal injuries. This project was designed to develop a return to work software application to produce applicable light duty job assemblies based on worker limitations and available tasks on the farm. Methods Farm task data were collected by physical and occupational therapists at dairy and pork farms in Minnesota and „Wisconsin. The collection included heights, weights, and environmental considerations such as slippery surfaces. Narrative data from therapist collection had to be converted to a structured format to make most use of algorithmic functionality. Results The system, in prototype form, has been tested with workers, employers and clinicians. The application outputs suggested job tasks based on the limitations entered. Rather than a typical proscriptive output from physician to patient and employer, this application provides a prescriptive recommendation allowing the injured worker to get back to work sooner and safer. Farmers/employers still have the discretion to adjust the recommended tasks so long as they stay within the physical limitations outlined by the physician (e.g. cannot lift more than 10 lbs.). Conclusions The tool in prototype appears to be appealing to Insurance companies that offer Workers’ Compensation coverage and Farmers/employers who appreciate the guidance it offers in navigating a safe return to work of injured employees. Though few farmers realise the financial ramifications of keeping someone on time-loss, they quickly discern the value of the system, and often request more information about farm safety and injury prevention.

365 Battlefield to farm field: risk perceptions of US military veterans transitioning into agriculture

Background Prompted by wars in the past two decades largely in the Middle East, the United States veteran population in the United States often struggles with unemployment. America is increasingly occupied by the mental health ramifications of deployment. Domestically, the United States grapples with securing a healthy and abundant food source to support a large food insecure population in the midst of decreases in the number of farms and increasing food imports. The veteran-to-farmer (V2F) movement converges within these two concerns to provide jobs and potential therapeutic benefits to veterans through food production. Methods The project combines a grounded theory approach with epidemiology to understand a broad range of implications for the V2F movement. Grounded theory will be utilised to conduct semi-structured interviews and participant-observation to explore veteran’s safety behaviours and construct an understanding of how knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about safety result in health or injury. Veteran’s health and safety outcomes will be measured using existing US Veterans Affairs’ mental and emotional health analysis tools. Results Outputs will include modified quality of life and reintegration assessment instruments specific to V2F. This project will also explore if the unique experiences and training of veterans creates a worldview that puts them at particular risk and so establishes V2Fs as a new vulnerable worker population. Results pending and will be available by September, 2016. Conclusions The study offers a new and emergent means to implementing research into practice by deriving hypotheses from a grounded theory approach and testing them through traditional epidemiological methods. While the V2F movement continues to expand, the unique risks posed to veterans through agriculture should be explored, recognised, and prevented for veterans as an at-risk population.

653 Safety for youth involved in community based agriculture

Background As Community Based Agriculture (CBA) gains popularity in the U.S., more youth are becoming involved. One type of CBA is Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). In CSA, farms sell shares of their harvest, which may include customer labour: as part of the share, to reduce the price of the share, or to gain extra product. Another form of CBA is public gardens (e.g., community, urban, school). Adults work with youth to plant, weed and harvest. Often, those working in CBA are not familiar with the tasks, equipment, and hazards. There are no known safety resources for youth involved in CBA, thus adults depend on prevention strategies from various disciplines to address common problems such as bee stings or weather-related hazards. Methods A pilot study was undertaken to assess youth safety in CBA. A survey was sent to a convenience sample of community/school garden organisers to learn more about youth working in gardens, the types of jobs they perform, the types of equipment being used, and the injuries and illnesses that occur. Eighteen completed surveys were returned and analysed, representing a variety of operations. Results Survey results revealed many groups engage youth in CBA, and youth perform a wide variety of tasks. Very few have formal safety programs; all desire more safety information. In response, “Community-Based Agriculture: Safety Guidelines for Youth Working in Gardens” was developed. Content is based on the North American Guidelines for Children’s Agricultural Tasks and Safety Guidelines for Hired Adolescent Farm Workers. Dissemination efforts included press releases, Ag Educator listservs, and social media. Over 1000 booklets have been distributed, and links are on several national websites. Conclusions In the U.S., CBA activities offer an opportunity for safety professionals to engage with community programs and embed effective principles to safeguard youth. This is especially important, given the national push to grow and eat natural foods.

363 Using the socio-ecologic model as a guide for agricultural safety interventions

Background Agriculture is a dangerous industry that allows children in the worksite. Each day about 38 children are seriously injured on farms. The culture of agriculture resists advice from outsiders. Farm operators/parents prefer receiving information from familiar sources, not safety professionals. The Socio-ecologic Model (SEM) demonstrates how spheres of increasing influence have higher degrees of impact on individual behaviour. Methods We modified the SEM to have farm children as the focal point, with adults/parents the first line of protection. Increasing spheres of influence are family and friends, followed by the community, organisations, and businesses. Public policy has the greatest influence but in agriculture rarely applies. Key farm business contacts are property and liability insurance providers. We conducted a study to assess if and how insurers could influence farmers regarding childhood farm safety. Surveys were distributed at a farm risk management training with 96 (55%) insurers responding. Results Agricultural insurers reported 55% currently send general safety information and 38% provide financial support of safety events. Regarding child-specific information, 79% want to increase their focus on children and 63% need guidance for this. Furthermore, 76% believe customers would be pleased if they added a focus on childhood farm safety. Using these results, an illustrated report was sent to 150 agricultural insurance companies. It highlighted safety topics of concern, including ATVs and children operating tractors. Details were offered on insurance providers’ strategies, such as co-branding farm safety posters, updating farm policies on young workers, and website links to and evidence-based programs. Conclusions This new approach may influence farmers to protect children from preventable injuries. The project impact, including numbers and types of actions taken by insurance companies, will be shared at the Safety 2016 World Conference.

MD-CTS: An integrated terminology reference of clinical and translational medicine.

New vocabularies are rapidly evolving in the literature relative to the practice of clinical medicine and translational research. To provide integrated access to new terms, we developed a mobile and desktop online reference—Marshfield Dictionary of Clinical and Translational Science (MD-CTS). It is the first public resource that comprehensively integrates Wiktionary (word definition), BioPortal (ontology), Wiki (image reference), and Medline abstract (word usage) information. MD-CTS is accessible at http://spellchecker.mfldclin.edu/. The website provides a broadened capacity for the wider clinical and translational science community to keep pace with newly emerging scientific vocabulary. An initial evaluation using 63 randomly selected biomedical words suggests that online references generally provided better coverage (73%-95%) than paper-based dictionaries (57–71%).

Facilitating Return to Work for Injured and Ill Animal Agriculture Workers

Iris Anne Reyes,1 MPH; Nancy Bellendorf,2 OTR; Tami Meehan,3 PT, DPT, OCS; Ron Wenger,3 PT, DPT, OCS, MTC; Christopher Kadolph4; Shaun Halstead4; Andrea Mahnke,4 MS; Bryan Weichelt,4 MS, MBA, PMP; William Ray,4 BS; Matthew Keifer,1 MD, MPH 1National Farm Medicine Center, Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation, Marshfield, Wisconsin, USA 2Work Safe Therapy & Ergonomics, Medford, Wisconsin, USA 3Wenger Physical Therapy, North Mankato, Minnesota, USA 4Biomedical Informatics Research Center, Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation, Marshfield, Wisconsin, USA

D1-3: Marshfield Dictionary of Clinical and Translational Science (MD-CTS): An Online Reference for Clinical and Translational Science Terminology

Background/Aims New terms are rapidly appearing in the literature and practice of clinical medicine and translational research. To catalog real-world usage of medical terms, we report the first construction of an online dictionary of clinical and translational medicinal terms, which are computationally generated in near real-time using a big data approach. This project is NIH CTSA-funded and developed by the Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation in conjunction with University of Wisconsin - Madison. Currently titled Marshfield Dictionary of Clinical and Translational Science (MD-CTS), this application is a Google-like word search tool. By entering a term into the search bar, MD-CTS will display that term’s definition, usage examples, contextual terms, related images, and ontological information. A prototype is available for public viewing at http://spellchecker.mfldclin.edu/. Methods We programmatically derived the lexicon for MD-CTS from scholarly communications by parsing through 15,156,745 MEDLINE abstracts and extracting all of the unique words found therein. We then ran this list through several filters in order to remove words that were not relevant for searching, such as common English words and numeric expressions. We then loaded the resulting 1,795,769 terms into SQL tables. Each term is cross-referenced with every occurrence in all abstracts in which it was found. Additional information is aggregated from Wiktionary, Bioportal, and Wikipedia in real-time and displayed on-screen. From this lexicon we created a supplemental dictionary resource (updated quarterly) to be used in Microsoft Office® products. Results We evaluated the utility of MD-CTS by creating a list of 100 words derived from recent clinical and translational medicine publications in the week of July 22, 2013. We then performed comparative searches for each term with Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, Stedman’s Medical Dictionary, Dorland’s Illustrated Medical Dictionary, Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), and MD-CTS. We compared our supplemental dictionary resource to OpenMedSpell for effectiveness in accuracy of term recognition. Conclusions In summary, we developed an online mobile and desktop reference, which comprehensively integrates Wiktionary (term information), Bioportal (ontological information), Wikipedia (related images), and Medline abstract information (term usage) for scientists and clinicians to browse in real-time. We also created a supplemental dictionary resource to be used in Microsoft Office® products.