Agriculture has been rated as the nation's most hazardous industry, and new work-safety standards are pending both at the federal and state levels. Intent on developing practical alternatives for agricultural work that frequently causes injuries, UC Davis researchers have launched a new three-year agricultural ergonomics study, supported for the first year by a grant from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. (Ergonomics is the investigation of how the work environment can best be engineered to minimize stress on the human body.) The new California Agricultural Ergonomic Intervention Project will focus on the state's nursery industry, which employs approximately 31,000 workers annually. "Our goal is not to replace workers through mechanization, but to modify their tasks and tools in order to prevent injury," says study director John A. Miles, a professor of biological and agricultural engineering at UC Davis. "We also are confident that nursery owners and managers will realize savings through increased efficiencies and productivity."