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The National Farm Medicine Center (NFMC), established in 1981, is a non-profit program in Marshfield, Wisconsin dedicated to agricultural health and safety research, and service. [1] The center is a component of the Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, which is part of Marshfield Clinic. [2] [3] [4] [5]
In the 1960s research was conducted by the Marshfield Clinic Research Institute on respiratory diseases common in dairy farmers. Dean Emanuel identified maple bark disease among paper mill workers. [6] [7] [8]
In 1964, a culture technique developed by Emanuel and Fritz Wenzel to identify the causative agent for "farmer's lung", [8] [9] [10] a chronic, progressive, inflammation in the lungs of farmers. By 1971 intervention and education programs targeting farmers were developed in cooperation with the University of Wisconsin Agricultural Research Station, located in Marshfield. [11] Discussions were held in 1980 and came to fruition in 1981 with the formation of an agricultural medicine center in Marshfield. [12]
The center is directed by Casper G. Bendixsen, PhD. [13] [14] Its staff of 20+ includes five PhD level scientists, along with support staff. [15] Past directors include Barbara C. Lee, PhD and Matthew C. Keifer, MD. [16] [17]
Since 1997, the center has been home to the National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety (NCCRAHS), [3] [18] [19] [20] It is one of 11 Centers for Agricultural Disease and Injury Research, Education and Prevention [21] funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, [22] and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [23]
The majority of the center's funding comes from competitive government grants and contracts. Other sources of funding are private foundations, corporations, partnerships and donations.
The National Farm Medicine Center hosts summer interns who are involved in research projects, farm visits, and field work. [24] [25] [26]
The research areas this center participates in includes
In collaboration with the Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (UMASH), [58] the following projects are conducted:
In collaboration with the Central States Center for Agriculture Safety and Health (CS-CASH), [65] the following projects are conducted:
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other garments or equipment designed to protect the wearer's body from injury or infection. The hazards addressed by protective equipment include physical, electrical, heat, chemical, biohazards, and airborne particulate matter. Protective equipment may be worn for job-related occupational safety and health purposes, as well as for sports and other recreational activities. Protective clothing is applied to traditional categories of clothing, and protective gear applies to items such as pads, guards, shields, or masks, and others. PPE suits can be similar in appearance to a cleanroom suit.
Agriculture is a major industry in the United States, which is a net exporter of food. As of the 2017 census of agriculture, there were 2.04 million farms, covering an area of 900 million acres (1,400,000 sq mi), an average of 441 acres per farm.
An occupational injury is bodily damage resulting from working. The most common organs involved are the spine, hands, the head, lungs, eyes, skeleton, and skin. Occupational injuries can result from exposure to occupational hazards, such as temperature, noise, insect or animal bites, blood-borne pathogens, aerosols, hazardous chemicals, radiation, and occupational burnout.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is the United States federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury and illness. NIOSH is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Despite its name, it is not part of either the National Institutes of Health nor OSHA. Its current director is John Howard.
Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must often pursue fish far into the ocean under adverse conditions. Large-scale commercial fishing is called industrial fishing.
The Vaccine Safety Datalink Project (VSD) was established in 1990 by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to study the adverse effects of vaccines.
Marshfield Clinic Health System is an integrated health system serving Wisconsin founded in 1916. The system contains several hospitals and many clinics throughout Wisconsin, as well as a medical research institute and an education division, and employs more than 1,200 doctors and other clinicians.
An occupational hazard is a hazard experienced in the workplace. This encompasses many types of hazards, including chemical hazards, biological hazards (biohazards), psychosocial hazards, and physical hazards. In the United States, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conduct workplace investigations and research addressing workplace health and safety hazards resulting in guidelines. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) establishes enforceable standards to prevent workplace injuries and illnesses. In the EU, a similar role is taken by EU-OSHA.
A rollover protection structure or rollover protection system (ROPS) is a system or structure intended to protect equipment operators and motorists from injuries caused by vehicle overturns or rollovers. Like rollcages and rollbars in cars and trucks, cabs, frames or rollbars on agricultural and construction equipments, a ROPS involves mechanical components attached to the frame of the vehicle that maintain a clearance zone large enough to protect the operator's body in the event of rollover.
Around the world, nearly 250 million children, about one in every six children, ages 5 through 17, are involved in child labor. Children can be found in almost any economic sector. However, at a global level, most of them work in agriculture (70%). Approximately 2.4 million adolescents aged 16 to 17 years worked in the U.S. in 2006. Official employment statistics are not available for younger adolescents who are also known to work, especially in agricultural settings.
The National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) is a partnership program developed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The program was founded in 1996 to provide a framework for research collaborations among universities, large and small businesses, professional societies, government agencies, and worker organizations. Together these parties identify issues in the field of workplace safety and health that require immediate attention based on the number of workers affected, the seriousness of the hazard, and the likelihood that new safety information and approaches can effect a change.
NIOSH Education and Research Centers are multidisciplinary centers supported by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health for education and research in the field of occupational health. Through the centers, NIOSH supports academic degree programs, research, continuing education, and outreach. The ERCs, distributed in regions across the United States, establish academic, labor, and industry research partnerships. The research conducted at the centers is related to the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) established by NIOSH.
A physical hazard is an agent, factor or circumstance that can cause harm with contact. They can be classified as type of occupational hazard or environmental hazard. Physical hazards include ergonomic hazards, radiation, heat and cold stress, vibration hazards, and noise hazards. Engineering controls are often used to mitigate physical hazards.
Occupational safety and health (OSH) or occupational health and safety (OHS) is a multidisciplinary field concerned with the safety, health, and welfare of people at work. OSH is related to the fields of occupational medicine and occupational hygiene and aligns with workplace health promotion initiatives. OSH also protects all the general public who may be affected by the occupational environment.
Total Worker Health is a trademarked strategy defined as policies, programs, and practices that integrate protection from work-related safety and health hazards with promotion of injury and illness prevention efforts to advance worker well-being. It was conceived and is funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Total Worker Health is tested and developed in six Centers of Excellence for Total Worker Health in the United States.
The National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety (NCCRAHS) is a part of the National Farm Medicine Center, one of the research centers of the Marshfield Clinic Research Institute. The center is located headquartered in Marshfield, Wisconsin, and is primarily funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), which is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The director is Barbara C. Lee, PhD.
Agricultural safety and health is an aspect of occupational safety and health in the agricultural workplace. It specifically addresses the health and safety of farmers, farm workers, and their families.
Barbara C. Lee is the director of the National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety, located in Marshfield, Wisconsin. Lee was also the director and a past interim director of the National Farm Medicine Center. The focus of Lee's professional career has been advocating for the safety of children who live, visit and work on farms in the U.S. She led the national initiative to develop an action plan for childhood agricultural injury prevention that was funded through the United States Congress
Matthew C. Keifer is the director of the VA Occupational Health and the Specialty Medicine Service Line at the VA Puget Sound, Seattle, WA. Keifer served as director of the National Farm Medicine Center (NFMC) from 2012 to 2016, and is currently a co-director of the Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center, and a project PI within the National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety. He is an occupational physician and internist who also practiced occupational medicine at the Marshfield Clinic in Marshfield, Wisconsin during his time as the director of NFMC. He is an affiliate professor at the University of Washington School of Public Health, where he was on the active faculty and served as founding co-director of the Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center until 2010. His research areas include pesticide health effects, injuries and illness in agriculture, and clinical occupational injury management.
Examination of mental health of agricultural workers in the United States shows that the agricultural workforce suffering from mental illnesses and disorders is widespread. A 2018 report highlighted the fact that male farmers, ranchers, and agricultural managers were nearly twice as likely to die by suicide as the general working population. Note, in 2020 male suicide rates are 3.88 times higher than female rates.
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