Farm Safety Information Goes On-line

California agriculture, which employs more than 1.2 million people annually as farm workers, is second to none in worldwide productivity. But the specialized activities required in this labor-intensive industry also carry a high rate of occupational hazards. In honor of Farm Safety Week, Sept. 15-21, the UC Agricultural Health & Safety Center at Davis invites the public to visit its Farm Safety On-line service, located on the center's computer-based "home page" at www-ch.ucdavis.edu/www/agcenter.html. Farm Safety On-line contains statistical information on agricultural health and safety as well as information on steps the center is taking to reduce injury and illness in agriculture. The center's home page also includes archives of its quarterly newsletter, summaries of research conducted by center investigators and a link to the home page for all agricultural health and safety centers supported by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. In addition, it provides links to other computerized health and safety information resources. The center was established in 1991 by the national institute as one of seven agricultural health and safety centers throughout the nation, committed to improving and protecting the health and safety of farmers, farm workers and their families. The UC Davis-based center serves California, Nevada, Arizona and Hawaii. Its staff of epidemiologists, clinicians, industrial hygienists and education specialists from the UC Davis medicine and veterinary medicine schools, and agricultural and environmental sciences college, collaborate with many other organizations to provide leadership in addressing a broad spectrum of health and safety issues related to the agricultural work place.

Media Resources

Pat Bailey, Research news (emphasis: agricultural and nutritional sciences, and veterinary medicine), 530-219-9640, pjbailey@ucdavis.edu