October 26, 2022 • 29 mins
Agriculture is one of the most hazardous industries in the United States. Nationally, the fatality rate for farmers and ranchers is nearly seven times the average rate of all workers. In this series of Science by the Slice, titled The Essential Worker, we’re exploring agricultural health and safety. Episode one features Dr. Ashley McLeod-Morin, Associate Director of Strategic Communication with the Southeastern Coastal Center for Agricultural Health and Safety, one of 11 Centers established by the National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH). Dr. McLeod-Morin discusses some of the unique occupational needs of workers in the southeastern coastal states, as well as the initiatives and impacts of the Center.
Resources:
Southeastern Coastal Center for Agricultural Health and Safety website
NIOSH Centers for Agricultural Safety and Health
Injury Pyramid
Transcripts available here: https://piecenter.com/media/podcast/#transcript
Are you an educator? The Science by the Slice podcast aims to inform diverse audiences about important issues in agriculture, natural resources and public health. Check out our learning guides that were created as an educational tool to facilitate discussions related to the topics presented in podcast episodes. Download the learning guides here: https://piecenter.com/media/podcast/learn/
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Music “A New Path” by Kirk Osamayo Available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/kirk-osamayo/season-two-green/a-new-path/
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Ricky Telg (00:04):
This is Science by the Slice, a podcast from the
University of Florida'sInstitute of Food and
Agricultural Sciences Center forPublic Issues Education. In this
podcast, experts discuss thescience of issues affecting our
daily lives, reveal themotivations behind the decisions
people make, and ultimatelyprovide insight to solutions for
our lives.
Phillip Stokes (00:31):
Welcome to Science by the Slice. I'm
Phillip Stokes, EducationCoordinator with the PIE Center
and one of the hosts of thispodcast. This is the first
episode of a series we're doingon agricultural health and
safety. Over the next few weeks,you'll hear conversations with
individuals in the fields ofpublic health, nonprofit work,
(00:52):
health research, education, andcommunication, who are all
working through different meansto improve health and safety
within the agriculture,forestry, and fishing sector.
And before we get into today'sconversation, I'm going to share
a few numbers with you. Three,two, and one. Three: According
(01:16):
to the US Department ofAgriculture, food is the third
highest household expenditurebehind housing and
transportation. Two (01:23):
The percentage of Americans who are
directly involved in on farmforestry or fishing employment.
This was also taken from USDA.
One (01:32):
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the
agriculture, forestry, andfishing industry sector taken
collectively has the number oneor highest rate for fatal
occupational injuries. And thatlast statistic is just referring
to fatalities. Non-lifethreatening injuries and
(01:54):
illnesses within agriculture,forestry and fishing are
incredibly common. There's aconcept within public health I
want to share with you known asthe injury pyramid. This concept
demonstrates that for everyfatal injury event, there are
more non-fatal but seriousinjuries, followed by even more
minor injuries than near misses,and finally, unsafe acts, with
(02:17):
each of those categories,increasing in occurrences as you
move down the pyramid. Thisconcept is easier to understand
with a visual. I'll add a linkto one in the show notes. So the
theoretical idea here is thateach of those categories is in
proportion to the others.
(02:38):
Therefore, if you decreased theamount from the lowest and
largest portion of the pyramid,that is unsafe acts, you would
also have a decrease in eachcategory above it on the
pyramid, all the way up to fatalinjuries. This theoretical model
really gets down to the core ofthis series. People all over the
(02:59):
US are using their positions andabilities to create safer
working environments foragricultural workers by raising
awareness of job hazards. AndI'd say given agriculture's
importance in our society,combined with the rate of injury
within the industry, thiscertainly warrants attention.
And all of this brings us rightto today's episode where I speak
(03:22):
with Dr. Ashley McLeod Morin,Associate Director of Strategic
Communication with theSoutheastern Coastal Center for
Agricultural Health and Safety,one of 11 centers established by
the National Institute ofOccupational Health and Safety,
or NIOSH. Dr. McLeod Morin, andI discuss some of the unique
occupational needs of workers inthe southeastern coastal states,
(03:44):
as well as the initiatives andimpacts of the Southeastern Ag
Health and Safety Center. Sonow, let's jump into our
conversation as Ashley shareshow she became involved in
agricultural health and safety.
Ashley Morin (03:57):
I grew up on a farm, grew up around
agriculture, my parents hadcattle growing up, and now they
have a forestry operation. Andso I was always involved in the
agricultural industry. Iparticipated in FFA. I mean, it
was always something that I wasreally interested in and
passionate about. And I wouldsay over the last few years,
(04:19):
getting my PhD, really havedeveloped more of a niche
passion for health and safetyand how that intersects with the
agricultural industry. And a lotof the unique needs that
agricultural workers, but thenalso rural communities have,
when it relates to health andsafety. And so I'm really lucky
that that's something that I getto work on every day in my job,
(04:43):
and hopefully really moving theneedle in the way the
agricultural industry thinksabout health and safety. But
then also on the other side ofthat, how health and safety
experts also think and considerthe agricultural industry and
all the people involved in thatwork as well.
Phillip Stokes (04:58):
That's a really good point, because you said how
the agricultural field dealswith, you know, safety issues,
but also how the medical field,how people see, you know, the
challenges, because it's notalways so transparent. It's not
always known, right?
Ashley Morin (05:16):
Yeah, no, absolutely. Especially I think
from my background, I come froma pretty rural community, at
least pretty rural from Floridastandards, and thinking about
just how rural communities haveknowledge about health, how they
deal with their health, how theythink about their health, in a
really different way from someof these more urban populations,
(05:38):
and especially whenever your,you know, your day to day work
is working on the farm, yourhealth really isn't always your
number one priority. And that'snot necessarily how it should
be. But it isn't always easy tokind of leave your work, and
drive longer distances to get todoctor's appointments and things
like that. And I think that'salso just something really
(05:59):
important to consider for thispopulation. And so, again, it's
just something I'm reallyexcited to be able to think more
about and kind of dive into isthis complex problem and bring
together those two groups, in asmall way, at least.
Phillip Stokes (06:13):
Yeah, of course.
And so today, we're talking alot about the CDC NIOSH
Agricultural Health and SafetyCenters. And that stands for
Centers for Disease Control andPrevention, National Institute
of Occupational Safety andHealth. And there are these
Agricultural Health and SafetyCenters that are located
throughout the country to workon this initiative that we've
(06:33):
just briefly introduced. So canyou tell us a little bit about
those centers? And why they wereestablished, when they were
established, what they're therefor?
Ashley Morin (06:43):
Yeah, absolutely.
So the National Institute ofOccupational Safety and Health,
or NIOSH, actually establishedthis initiative back in 1990.
And this initiative really wasto develop research programs and
prevention programs atuniversities throughout the
country that really focused onagricultural safety and health
programs. And so including ourcenter, which is one of the
(07:06):
newest centers, currently thereare 10 other centers
geographically locatedthroughout the country. So
there's 11 total centers thatreally prioritize agricultural
safety and health, and also tolook at the unique needs in
their own region. So for us, weserve the southeastern coastal
region. So all the states in thesoutheast that touch the coast,
which include Mississippi,Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South
(07:30):
Carolina, North Carolina, aswell as Puerto Rico, and the
Virgin Islands. And so thinkingabout the unique occupational
needs of those populations thatwork in that region. So thinking
all the way from fishery workersthat work in commercial fishing
industries, all the way tomigrant farm workers, as well as
farmers and ranchers in theserural communities and
(07:51):
agricultural communities. And soa really diverse population that
our center focuses on, but othercenters focus on the unique
needs that their own region has
Phillip Stokes (08:01):
Yeah, you know, I'm thinking here, you know,
as well.
agriculture is such an essentialaspect of human life, right? Our
communities were founded aroundagricultural centers. And, of
course, you know, risks andstrains and things have been
(08:22):
around forever. But you saidthese centers were established
in 1990. So, I mean, what do youthink it was around that time
that really was the tippingpoint for NIOSH and for the CDC
to come in and say, Okay, wereally need a formal initiative
with funds directed to this tohelp out the workforce.
Ashley Morin (08:44):
Yeah, no, absolutely. I think that on the
farm injuries, even thoughthey're still prevalent today, I
think they were a lot moreprevalent then. I think it's
really interesting to thinkabout how the agricultural
industry and all of theseassociated programs and
equipments and things like thathave really evolved over the
past three decades. When wethink about even what tractors
(09:06):
looked like in 1990, that's verydifferent from what they look
like today. And all of thesafety mechanisms that were put
into place to make traditionalfarming safer, essentially. And
of course, there's still a waysto go in thinking about how we
can make that occupation evensafer. But I think that those
(09:28):
were some of the real concernsthat were going on at that time
when we look at when thesecenters were established in
1990. But then thinking abouthow things have really evolved
today and the new risks that wehave to be able to really
pinpoint and learn more aboutand to be able to address that
might not have existed then. Ithink that we're much more in
(09:49):
tune to this whole idea ofmusculoskeletal disorders and
injuries with repetitive motionsthat were still happening and
probably still a concern, youknow, three decades ago, but
maybe weren't as top of mind forus. And we also know a lot more
about zoonotic and infectiousdiseases today and how diseases
(10:10):
are, you know, transferedbetween animals and humans,
especially with farmers workingwith livestock and how those
diseases might be passed on tothe human population. And just
the the knowledge gain thatwe've had I think has been able
to be instrumental in how we canreally address a lot of these
(10:30):
issues in making a saferworkforce.
Phillip Stokes (10:34):
Yeah, if you didn't know about zoonotic
diseases, you did as of like,2020, right?
Ashley Morin (10:40):
Absolutely, yeah.
Phillip Stokes (10:41):
With COVID-19?
You know, one other thing thatis common in the agricultural
field and industry as a whole,is the disconnection between the
majority of the public withwhere their food comes from. And
I don't think it's anyone'sfault. It's just kind of the way
the industry has migrated,right? So when when someone goes
(11:01):
to the store, they see a head oflettuce, a potato, or whatever,
but they don't see all the handsthat have been a part of
bringing that to the grocerystore. And so they also don't
know about the risks and some ofthe perils that can be
associated with agriculturalwork. So you know, how important
(11:23):
is it to have just publicawareness about some of these
risks as well? You mentioned atthe beginning, making sure that
health care providers and peoplethat are serving those
agricultural workers, makingsure they know about the risks,
but what about just the common
Ashley Morin (11:43):
Yeah, no, absolutely. I think that's a
Yeah, I thinkthat's a great question, person?
Phillip Stokes (11:43):
Yeah. And Ashley, if you could, like, just
paint a picture for us. Like,you talked about the different
types of people there are in theworkforce, and how that is
specific to different locationsthroughout the US. So if you
could just tell peoplelistening, like, what does an
agricultural worker look like?
Or what could an agriculturalworker look like?
great point. Like I said,earlier, I grew up on a farm, I
Phillip, you know, especiallyhere in the southeast. And I'm
grew up in agriculture and I'vebeen living away from the farm
for close to 10 years now. Andit's even easy for me to really
gonna keep talking about it,because that's the area that I
forget all of the day to daymundane things that go into the
work in, of course. But I thinkthat one thing that I love about
agricultural industry. And Ithink that that's especially
true here in the southeast, whenwe think about the types of
(12:05):
products that are grown in thesoutheast, and particularly here
living in Florida and living inthe southeast is that our
in Florida, and all the laborintensive crops that we have and
what harvesting looks like herecompared to some of the more
agricultural workforce is justas diverse as our agricultural
traditional crops and industriesin the Midwest. And so, you
industry is. I think thatFlorida and the Southeast is
know, when we think about howdifficult it really is to get
even just a piece of fruit or avegetable from the farm to the
(12:27):
known to have so many differentcrops and agricultural pursuits.
table and all the steps that gointo the food supply chain, it's
incredible. And so when we'rethinking about, there's actually
And we have a diverse workforcethat serves those diverse needs.
people out there in the fields,picking these fruits, handling
them in a safe way, so thatthey're safe to get to our
And so I think about, here inthe southeast, we have three
plates and for us to eat. Itreally is incredible. And so,
(12:48):
main different groups that Ithink of at least, and so, we
yeah, I think that it's reallyon the first step to help make
the public more aware of theagricultural industry. But then,
have migrant farmworkers who, itsounds exactly like what the
there's these 10 other steps toreally help the public
understand what that actuallylooks like and that, yeah, your
name says, that they reallymigrate around oftentimes and
meat doesn't just come fromPublix. And that's why I think
serve the needs of theagricultural industry. And
(13:10):
that it's really important forus to make known, moreso the
they're the ones out there inthe fields, picking fruits,
risks of the agriculturalindustry to those people working
in agriculture, and how we canreally help them address those
picking vegetables, and doing alot of really labor intensive
risks and those hazards. Butthen also, whenever, you know, I
work. And they're moving aroundwith their families to serve the
think it's easy for us to go tothe grocery store and complain
(13:33):
about prices. And think, gosh,like food has gone up so high. I
different needs of agriculturalcommunities as the agricultural
know that I don't love paying mygrocery bill every week. But
seasons evolve. We also havefishery workers that that are
then thinking about all the hardwork and all the people that go
into what we're buying at thegrocery stores. I think that
really prominent throughout thesoutheast along the coast. I
there's a lot more connectionsthat can
(13:54):
know that I love getting oystersevery winter, that's a big
family tradition of mine,getting oysters every Christmas.
But I think about all of thehazards and all the risks that
go along with that for thoseworkers, you know, there's a lot
(14:21):
of repetitive motions. There's alot of large equipments,
oftentimes older equipment thatmight have other associated
risks to it that might not be astop of mind. But then we also
(14:41):
have those traditional farmersand ranchers. And so when I
think about the traditionalfarmers and ranchers, I think
about my dad, and a lot of mydad's friends that are still
very much in the trenches in theagricultural industry and
(15:07):
farming day in and day out. Mydad did not farm full time when
I was growing up. Like I said,we always had cows, and we now
have forestry, but a lot of hisfriends did farm full time. And
(15:28):
so they're working on tractorsand large equipments all day,
they're out there in the heat.
They're with some unrulylivestock oftentimes, and then
also thinking about, you know, Imentioned that I'm from a rural
(15:49):
community. And so I remember onetime, whenever I was a child,
that one of my dad's friendsactually got into an accident
with his tractor. And you know,it's a good 45 minutes to a
(16:09):
hospital or to a doctor. And sothinking about the time it took
for emergency services to beable to get out there and to be
able to address accidents andthings. And so, again, all of
(16:30):
these, this really becomes avery complex picture, right,
with lots of different colorsgoing on. And so it's not even
just kind of addressing thosehazards, but then also those
unique things of like, where arethese farmers and or
(16:56):
agricultural workers at outthere in the field? How easy are
they to get to? Or how easy isit for them to, kind of, get
back in town when something likethat happens?
(17:17):
Yeah, no, that'sgreat. And a lot of times people
do have an image of a farmworker, a farmer, and
agricultural worker in theirmind. And it may or may not be
the actual, it may not be thetruth of what's actually going
on, especially if you're notinvolved. I do want to talk more
(17:38):
about the Southeastern CoastalCenter for Agricultural Health
and Safety. Of course, that isthe center that you are a part
of. And so I want to talk aboutspecifically, what are some of
the initiatives within thecenter based on some of the
challenges, the regionalspecific challenges here? And
what are some of the things, theprojects, the education, the
(18:00):
work, being done here in theSoutheastern Coastal Center?
Ashley Morin (18:02):
Yeah, I think that there's a lot of really cool
things going on here at theSoutheastern Coastal Center that
I'm really excited to be able tobe a part of. So like I said, we
are currently one of the newestcenters that's a part of this
initiative. So we wereestablished back in 2016. And so
we actually just got renewed foranother five years. So we're
(18:24):
really excited to be able tocontinue a lot of the foundation
that was laid in these past sixyears. And so talking about some
of the priorities andinitiatives, I mentioned earlier
that I get to work with you,Phillip, on the outreach core.
And so we have a pretty coolteam that is really working to
(18:45):
outreach the research that'sbeing done in the center, but
then also being able to raiseawareness about agricultural
safety and health in thesoutheast and get some really
cool and exciting resources tothe people working in the
industry to inform them aboutthose risks and hazards and how
they can be avoided. We alsohave some really fascinating
(19:05):
research projects that are beingconducted as part of the center.
And so we're about to launch twonew research projects. We have
one researcher who's continuinga lot of the work that he has
been doing. And so thoseprojects are really looking at
surveillance of what's going on.
And so I'm really excited forour audiences to be able to
learn more about those researchprojects. Then we have another
(19:27):
researcher who is actuallycontinuing his research looking
at chronic kidney conditions andsome of the exposures in the
agricultural industry, how theyplay a role in chronic kidney
conditions in agriculturalworkers. And so some really,
really exciting and innovativethings being done. We also
(19:48):
really work to elevate researchthat is being done across the
country, but of coursespecifically here in the
southeast and how we can supportthat work. The outreach core
actually hosts a State of theScience Meeting each year where
we bring together scholars andexperts in agricultural health
and safety fields to be able totalk about their work and share
(20:11):
some of the cool researchfindings that they have. But one
of the, my favorite things aboutthe State of the Science
Meeting, we also bring togetheragricultural stakeholders as
part of that meeting so they canhear about that research, and
actually work to implement a lotof those findings into their own
work. And so we really try tobridge the gap between
(20:32):
researchers, scholars, and ouragricultural stakeholders. And
so those are some of the funthings that we have going on in
the center.
Phillip Stokes (20:45):
Yeah, I mean, it really sounds like the
Southeastern Coastal Center, aswell as other centers, look at
this from differentperspectives, kind of multiple
different angles.
Ashley Morin (20:56):
Yeah, no, absolutely. And I think that the
Southeastern Coastal Center, andlike you said, I think all of
the centers this is true for, isa really interdisciplinary
initiative where we're bringingtogether, even whenever we're
just looking at the scholars andthe researchers in the center,
they are from all differentsorts of disciplines. We have
(21:17):
people working in in fisheriesand occupational safety and
health, in IT and technology,AI. I think that we really do a
great job of bringing togetherall of those scholars and
bringing together the best ofminds to be able to look at
these issues because like we'vealready talked about
agricultural safety and healthis not a one sided issue. It's
(21:38):
not a one sided topic. And so wecan't look at it one sided. One
of the things that I'm reallyexcited about is working closely
with Cooperative Extension, andmaking sure that Cooperative
Extension knows about, ofcourse, the center as a
resource, but how we can betterinform Cooperative Extension
agents about agricultural safetyand health topics, and maybe
(22:01):
questions that they're gettingfrom their clients and how they
can address those. But then alsoconnecting those people with our
public health experts and ourpeople working in public health,
because those might not berelationships that they already
have, or that could at least bepursued even further. And so I
think that again, that's anotherreally cool focus point here at
(22:24):
our center is being able tobring together Cooperative
Extension as well as publichealth. And so the center is
actually an initiative here atthe University of Florida that
brings together the Institute ofFood and Agricultural Sciences,
so IFAS, as well as the PublicHealth College. And so I think
that that's, that's reallyexciting. And something that you
(22:44):
don't see every day.
Phillip Stokes (22:46):
Yeah, that's great. I'm picturing kind of
this extensive web, with thecenter, being at the center, you
know.
Ashley Morin (22:52):
Absolutely.
Phillip Stokes (22:52):
Like, with the Southeastern Coastal Center,
just bringing in all of thesedifferent, connecting all of
these different groups, fromhard science to stakeholders to
farmers and everything inbetween.
Ashley Morin (23:02):
Absolutely.
Phillip Stokes (23:03):
So you've talked about some of the work of the
Southeastern Coastal Center andsome of the specific
initiatives. Tell us a littlebit about the impacts or
potential impacts of theseactions.
Ashley Morin (23:15):
Yeah, no, absolutely. I think that there's
a lot of really cool impactsthat we're seeing already, like
I said, where we're pretty newcenter, especially when we're
thinking about this really bigcomplex problem, that we're
already seeing more informationsources being generated. Our
outreach core has developed alot of what, at least I think,
are really great communicationresources, info sheets, white
(23:40):
papers, really trying todisseminate information about a
lot of these complex problemsthat we're working on. But then
I think it's also really greatfor, as a center and as an
agricultural industry to thinkabout, what are some of the long
term impacts of this work? Ithink it's, we always want to
know about return on investment,of course, and as a citizen, as
(24:03):
a resident, I think that that'ssomething that's always top of
mind for me that I like to thinkabout, even when I put on my
communication hat. And so Ithink that it's really a great
goal for us to work towards howwe can really mitigate morbidity
and mortality in theagricultural workforce. And I
think that our center is able tobe really responsive to a lot of
(24:26):
these things, so that we cancreate more relevant and timely
research so that we can get tothat big grand goal, of course.
I think that we're alsodeveloping better data sources
and being able to again, reallybeing able to better understand
the problems associated withagricultural safety and health
and have better data to quantifywhere those essential risks
(24:49):
really are. And of course, Ithink that long term, just
thinking about the reduction ofinjuries and diseases and
impacts in the agriculturalindustry.
Phillip Stokes (25:00):
Yeah, that is an interesting point because, of
course, when you want to dogood, when you want to help
something, you want to see,like, results immediately. But
just identifying the problem,just doing that surveillance
that you mentioned, is the firststep of many. And it's not the
(25:20):
only step that I know the centeris doing. But just understanding
what is the landscape ofinjuries and health issues
within agriculture, right?
Ashley Morin (25:30):
Yeah, no, I think that's a great point. I mean, we
all want instant gratificationno matter what it is. But we
know that the the scientificprocess is anything but instant.
It takes time, and especially alot of these complex
experiments, it takes time toeven conduct, and then to be
able to get some great findingsout of this, then be able to
(25:53):
deploy interventions. And Ithink that that's really where
our stakeholders play a reallyimportant role. I have a great
stakeholder advisory board thatI'm able to work with quite
extensively of thinking about,Okay, it's great that we have
these research findings, that weknow about these risks, but how
can we actually get thisinformation out there into the
(26:14):
communities and into theagricultural workforce? And like
you said, that's going to take awhile. And so I think that it's
definitely not a short game.
We're in it for the long game.
And I think that it's reallyexciting to see how this is
going to evolve, and hopefullymake a real impact in the
agricultural industry, movingforward into future decades.
Phillip Stokes (26:35):
Yeah, that's wonderful. And can you tell our
listeners a little bit moreabout where they can learn more,
find out about the center andthe research that is being
conducted?
Ashley Morin (26:47):
Yeah, definitely.
So we actually send out amonthly newsletter. You can sign
up for our monthly newsletter onour website. And I think that
maybe we can link that in theshow notes. And each month,
we'll send you kind of a summaryof some of the work and some of
the products that we're doing inthe center. But then we also
like to share events ortrainings that are happening
(27:09):
throughout the region. And so Ithink there's a lot of really
great information that gets sentout in that newsletter. We're
also on Facebook, Instagram, andTwitter. So of course, we would
love to have our listenersfollow us there. And Phillip
also hosts some really greatmonthly webinars, where we talk
a little bit more with some ofthe researchers and some
(27:30):
stakeholders in the center. Andso I really encourage our
listeners to also attend thosewebinars. I think that there's
some really great informationshared there. But you can get
more information about all ofthis on our website at
sccahs.org. And I'm sure we'lllink that as well. But yeah,
we're getting a lot ofinformation out there. And we're
(27:51):
always welcome to feedback fromstakeholders, if there's
something that we can betteraddress or look at a little bit
more, or partner with. We arealways looking for new
opportunities in that way.
Phillip Stokes (28:06):
Yeah, that's, that's wonderful. It is so great
to hear all about it. And thework that you do as the
Associate Director of StrategicCommunication for the
Southeastern Coastal Center forAgricultural Health and Safety.
I love our long names forthings.
Ashley Morin (28:20):
That was a mouthful, great job.
Phillip Stokes (28:20):
It was so great to talk with you today. Yeah,
oh, thank you.
Ashley Morin (28:23):
Thanks so much for having me on, Phillip, I really
appreciated this and enjoyedbeing able to talk about this
important topic with you.
Ricky Telg (28:32):
Science by the Slice is produced by the UF/IFAS
Center for Public IssuesEducation in Agriculture and
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thanks for listening to Scienceby the Slice.
This is Science by the Slice, a podcast from the
University of Florida'sInstitute of Food and
Agricultural Sciences Center forPublic Issues Education. In this
podcast, experts discuss thescience of issues affecting our
daily lives, reveal themotivations behind the decisions
people make, and ultimatelyprovide insight to solutions for
our lives.
Phillip Stokes (00:31):
Welcome to Science by the Slice. I'm
Phillip Stokes, EducationCoordinator with the PIE Center
and one of the hosts of thispodcast. This is the first
episode of a series we're doingon agricultural health and
safety. Over the next few weeks,you'll hear conversations with
individuals in the fields ofpublic health, nonprofit work,
(00:52):
health research, education, andcommunication, who are all
working through different meansto improve health and safety
within the agriculture,forestry, and fishing sector.
And before we get into today'sconversation, I'm going to share
a few numbers with you. Three,two, and one. Three: According
(01:16):
to the US Department ofAgriculture, food is the third
highest household expenditurebehind housing and
transportation. Two (01:23):
The percentage of Americans who are
directly involved in on farmforestry or fishing employment.
This was also taken from USDA.
One (01:32):
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the
agriculture, forestry, andfishing industry sector taken
collectively has the number oneor highest rate for fatal
occupational injuries. And thatlast statistic is just referring
to fatalities. Non-lifethreatening injuries and
(01:54):
illnesses within agriculture,forestry and fishing are
incredibly common. There's aconcept within public health I
want to share with you known asthe injury pyramid. This concept
demonstrates that for everyfatal injury event, there are
more non-fatal but seriousinjuries, followed by even more
minor injuries than near misses,and finally, unsafe acts, with
(02:17):
each of those categories,increasing in occurrences as you
move down the pyramid. Thisconcept is easier to understand
with a visual. I'll add a linkto one in the show notes. So the
theoretical idea here is thateach of those categories is in
proportion to the others.
(02:38):
Therefore, if you decreased theamount from the lowest and
largest portion of the pyramid,that is unsafe acts, you would
also have a decrease in eachcategory above it on the
pyramid, all the way up to fatalinjuries. This theoretical model
really gets down to the core ofthis series. People all over the
(02:59):
US are using their positions andabilities to create safer
working environments foragricultural workers by raising
awareness of job hazards. AndI'd say given agriculture's
importance in our society,combined with the rate of injury
within the industry, thiscertainly warrants attention.
And all of this brings us rightto today's episode where I speak
(03:22):
with Dr. Ashley McLeod Morin,Associate Director of Strategic
Communication with theSoutheastern Coastal Center for
Agricultural Health and Safety,one of 11 centers established by
the National Institute ofOccupational Health and Safety,
or NIOSH. Dr. McLeod Morin, andI discuss some of the unique
occupational needs of workers inthe southeastern coastal states,
(03:44):
as well as the initiatives andimpacts of the Southeastern Ag
Health and Safety Center. Sonow, let's jump into our
conversation as Ashley shareshow she became involved in
agricultural health and safety.
Ashley Morin (03:57):
I grew up on a farm, grew up around
agriculture, my parents hadcattle growing up, and now they
have a forestry operation. Andso I was always involved in the
agricultural industry. Iparticipated in FFA. I mean, it
was always something that I wasreally interested in and
passionate about. And I wouldsay over the last few years,
(04:19):
getting my PhD, really havedeveloped more of a niche
passion for health and safetyand how that intersects with the
agricultural industry. And a lotof the unique needs that
agricultural workers, but thenalso rural communities have,
when it relates to health andsafety. And so I'm really lucky
that that's something that I getto work on every day in my job,
(04:43):
and hopefully really moving theneedle in the way the
agricultural industry thinksabout health and safety. But
then also on the other side ofthat, how health and safety
experts also think and considerthe agricultural industry and
all the people involved in thatwork as well.
Phillip Stokes (04:58):
That's a really good point, because you said how
the agricultural field dealswith, you know, safety issues,
but also how the medical field,how people see, you know, the
challenges, because it's notalways so transparent. It's not
always known, right?
Ashley Morin (05:16):
Yeah, no, absolutely. Especially I think
from my background, I come froma pretty rural community, at
least pretty rural from Floridastandards, and thinking about
just how rural communities haveknowledge about health, how they
deal with their health, how theythink about their health, in a
really different way from someof these more urban populations,
(05:38):
and especially whenever your,you know, your day to day work
is working on the farm, yourhealth really isn't always your
number one priority. And that'snot necessarily how it should
be. But it isn't always easy tokind of leave your work, and
drive longer distances to get todoctor's appointments and things
like that. And I think that'salso just something really
(05:59):
important to consider for thispopulation. And so, again, it's
just something I'm reallyexcited to be able to think more
about and kind of dive into isthis complex problem and bring
together those two groups, in asmall way, at least.
Phillip Stokes (06:13):
Yeah, of course.
And so today, we're talking alot about the CDC NIOSH
Agricultural Health and SafetyCenters. And that stands for
Centers for Disease Control andPrevention, National Institute
of Occupational Safety andHealth. And there are these
Agricultural Health and SafetyCenters that are located
throughout the country to workon this initiative that we've
(06:33):
just briefly introduced. So canyou tell us a little bit about
those centers? And why they wereestablished, when they were
established, what they're therefor?
Ashley Morin (06:43):
Yeah, absolutely.
So the National Institute ofOccupational Safety and Health,
or NIOSH, actually establishedthis initiative back in 1990.
And this initiative really wasto develop research programs and
prevention programs atuniversities throughout the
country that really focused onagricultural safety and health
programs. And so including ourcenter, which is one of the
(07:06):
newest centers, currently thereare 10 other centers
geographically locatedthroughout the country. So
there's 11 total centers thatreally prioritize agricultural
safety and health, and also tolook at the unique needs in
their own region. So for us, weserve the southeastern coastal
region. So all the states in thesoutheast that touch the coast,
which include Mississippi,Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South
(07:30):
Carolina, North Carolina, aswell as Puerto Rico, and the
Virgin Islands. And so thinkingabout the unique occupational
needs of those populations thatwork in that region. So thinking
all the way from fishery workersthat work in commercial fishing
industries, all the way tomigrant farm workers, as well as
farmers and ranchers in theserural communities and
(07:51):
agricultural communities. And soa really diverse population that
our center focuses on, but othercenters focus on the unique
needs that their own region has
Phillip Stokes (08:01):
Yeah, you know, I'm thinking here, you know,
as well.
agriculture is such an essentialaspect of human life, right? Our
communities were founded aroundagricultural centers. And, of
course, you know, risks andstrains and things have been
(08:22):
around forever. But you saidthese centers were established
in 1990. So, I mean, what do youthink it was around that time
that really was the tippingpoint for NIOSH and for the CDC
to come in and say, Okay, wereally need a formal initiative
with funds directed to this tohelp out the workforce.
Ashley Morin (08:44):
Yeah, no, absolutely. I think that on the
farm injuries, even thoughthey're still prevalent today, I
think they were a lot moreprevalent then. I think it's
really interesting to thinkabout how the agricultural
industry and all of theseassociated programs and
equipments and things like thathave really evolved over the
past three decades. When wethink about even what tractors
(09:06):
looked like in 1990, that's verydifferent from what they look
like today. And all of thesafety mechanisms that were put
into place to make traditionalfarming safer, essentially. And
of course, there's still a waysto go in thinking about how we
can make that occupation evensafer. But I think that those
(09:28):
were some of the real concernsthat were going on at that time
when we look at when thesecenters were established in
1990. But then thinking abouthow things have really evolved
today and the new risks that wehave to be able to really
pinpoint and learn more aboutand to be able to address that
might not have existed then. Ithink that we're much more in
(09:49):
tune to this whole idea ofmusculoskeletal disorders and
injuries with repetitive motionsthat were still happening and
probably still a concern, youknow, three decades ago, but
maybe weren't as top of mind forus. And we also know a lot more
about zoonotic and infectiousdiseases today and how diseases
(10:10):
are, you know, transferedbetween animals and humans,
especially with farmers workingwith livestock and how those
diseases might be passed on tothe human population. And just
the the knowledge gain thatwe've had I think has been able
to be instrumental in how we canreally address a lot of these
(10:30):
issues in making a saferworkforce.
Phillip Stokes (10:34):
Yeah, if you didn't know about zoonotic
diseases, you did as of like,2020, right?
Ashley Morin (10:40):
Absolutely, yeah.
Phillip Stokes (10:41):
With COVID-19?
You know, one other thing thatis common in the agricultural
field and industry as a whole,is the disconnection between the
majority of the public withwhere their food comes from. And
I don't think it's anyone'sfault. It's just kind of the way
the industry has migrated,right? So when when someone goes
(11:01):
to the store, they see a head oflettuce, a potato, or whatever,
but they don't see all the handsthat have been a part of
bringing that to the grocerystore. And so they also don't
know about the risks and some ofthe perils that can be
associated with agriculturalwork. So you know, how important
(11:23):
is it to have just publicawareness about some of these
risks as well? You mentioned atthe beginning, making sure that
health care providers and peoplethat are serving those
agricultural workers, makingsure they know about the risks,
but what about just the common
Ashley Morin (11:43):
Yeah, no, absolutely. I think that's a
Yeah, I thinkthat's a great question, person?
Phillip Stokes (11:43):
Yeah. And Ashley, if you could, like, just
paint a picture for us. Like,you talked about the different
types of people there are in theworkforce, and how that is
specific to different locationsthroughout the US. So if you
could just tell peoplelistening, like, what does an
agricultural worker look like?
Or what could an agriculturalworker look like?
great point. Like I said,earlier, I grew up on a farm, I
Phillip, you know, especiallyhere in the southeast. And I'm
grew up in agriculture and I'vebeen living away from the farm
for close to 10 years now. Andit's even easy for me to really
gonna keep talking about it,because that's the area that I
forget all of the day to daymundane things that go into the
work in, of course. But I thinkthat one thing that I love about
agricultural industry. And Ithink that that's especially
true here in the southeast, whenwe think about the types of
(12:05):
products that are grown in thesoutheast, and particularly here
living in Florida and living inthe southeast is that our
in Florida, and all the laborintensive crops that we have and
what harvesting looks like herecompared to some of the more
agricultural workforce is justas diverse as our agricultural
traditional crops and industriesin the Midwest. And so, you
industry is. I think thatFlorida and the Southeast is
know, when we think about howdifficult it really is to get
even just a piece of fruit or avegetable from the farm to the
(12:27):
known to have so many differentcrops and agricultural pursuits.
table and all the steps that gointo the food supply chain, it's
incredible. And so when we'rethinking about, there's actually
And we have a diverse workforcethat serves those diverse needs.
people out there in the fields,picking these fruits, handling
them in a safe way, so thatthey're safe to get to our
And so I think about, here inthe southeast, we have three
plates and for us to eat. Itreally is incredible. And so,
(12:48):
main different groups that Ithink of at least, and so, we
yeah, I think that it's reallyon the first step to help make
the public more aware of theagricultural industry. But then,
have migrant farmworkers who, itsounds exactly like what the
there's these 10 other steps toreally help the public
understand what that actuallylooks like and that, yeah, your
name says, that they reallymigrate around oftentimes and
meat doesn't just come fromPublix. And that's why I think
serve the needs of theagricultural industry. And
(13:10):
that it's really important forus to make known, moreso the
they're the ones out there inthe fields, picking fruits,
risks of the agriculturalindustry to those people working
in agriculture, and how we canreally help them address those
picking vegetables, and doing alot of really labor intensive
risks and those hazards. Butthen also, whenever, you know, I
work. And they're moving aroundwith their families to serve the
think it's easy for us to go tothe grocery store and complain
(13:33):
about prices. And think, gosh,like food has gone up so high. I
different needs of agriculturalcommunities as the agricultural
know that I don't love paying mygrocery bill every week. But
seasons evolve. We also havefishery workers that that are
then thinking about all the hardwork and all the people that go
into what we're buying at thegrocery stores. I think that
really prominent throughout thesoutheast along the coast. I
there's a lot more connectionsthat can
(13:54):
know that I love getting oystersevery winter, that's a big
family tradition of mine,getting oysters every Christmas.
But I think about all of thehazards and all the risks that
go along with that for thoseworkers, you know, there's a lot
(14:21):
of repetitive motions. There's alot of large equipments,
oftentimes older equipment thatmight have other associated
risks to it that might not be astop of mind. But then we also
(14:41):
have those traditional farmersand ranchers. And so when I
think about the traditionalfarmers and ranchers, I think
about my dad, and a lot of mydad's friends that are still
very much in the trenches in theagricultural industry and
(15:07):
farming day in and day out. Mydad did not farm full time when
I was growing up. Like I said,we always had cows, and we now
have forestry, but a lot of hisfriends did farm full time. And
(15:28):
so they're working on tractorsand large equipments all day,
they're out there in the heat.
They're with some unrulylivestock oftentimes, and then
also thinking about, you know, Imentioned that I'm from a rural
(15:49):
community. And so I remember onetime, whenever I was a child,
that one of my dad's friendsactually got into an accident
with his tractor. And you know,it's a good 45 minutes to a
(16:09):
hospital or to a doctor. And sothinking about the time it took
for emergency services to beable to get out there and to be
able to address accidents andthings. And so, again, all of
(16:30):
these, this really becomes avery complex picture, right,
with lots of different colorsgoing on. And so it's not even
just kind of addressing thosehazards, but then also those
unique things of like, where arethese farmers and or
(16:56):
agricultural workers at outthere in the field? How easy are
they to get to? Or how easy isit for them to, kind of, get
back in town when something likethat happens?
(17:17):
Yeah, no, that'sgreat. And a lot of times people
do have an image of a farmworker, a farmer, and
agricultural worker in theirmind. And it may or may not be
the actual, it may not be thetruth of what's actually going
on, especially if you're notinvolved. I do want to talk more
(17:38):
about the Southeastern CoastalCenter for Agricultural Health
and Safety. Of course, that isthe center that you are a part
of. And so I want to talk aboutspecifically, what are some of
the initiatives within thecenter based on some of the
challenges, the regionalspecific challenges here? And
what are some of the things, theprojects, the education, the
(18:00):
work, being done here in theSoutheastern Coastal Center?
Ashley Morin (18:02):
Yeah, I think that there's a lot of really cool
things going on here at theSoutheastern Coastal Center that
I'm really excited to be able tobe a part of. So like I said, we
are currently one of the newestcenters that's a part of this
initiative. So we wereestablished back in 2016. And so
we actually just got renewed foranother five years. So we're
(18:24):
really excited to be able tocontinue a lot of the foundation
that was laid in these past sixyears. And so talking about some
of the priorities andinitiatives, I mentioned earlier
that I get to work with you,Phillip, on the outreach core.
And so we have a pretty coolteam that is really working to
(18:45):
outreach the research that'sbeing done in the center, but
then also being able to raiseawareness about agricultural
safety and health in thesoutheast and get some really
cool and exciting resources tothe people working in the
industry to inform them aboutthose risks and hazards and how
they can be avoided. We alsohave some really fascinating
(19:05):
research projects that are beingconducted as part of the center.
And so we're about to launch twonew research projects. We have
one researcher who's continuinga lot of the work that he has
been doing. And so thoseprojects are really looking at
surveillance of what's going on.
And so I'm really excited forour audiences to be able to
learn more about those researchprojects. Then we have another
(19:27):
researcher who is actuallycontinuing his research looking
at chronic kidney conditions andsome of the exposures in the
agricultural industry, how theyplay a role in chronic kidney
conditions in agriculturalworkers. And so some really,
really exciting and innovativethings being done. We also
(19:48):
really work to elevate researchthat is being done across the
country, but of coursespecifically here in the
southeast and how we can supportthat work. The outreach core
actually hosts a State of theScience Meeting each year where
we bring together scholars andexperts in agricultural health
and safety fields to be able totalk about their work and share
(20:11):
some of the cool researchfindings that they have. But one
of the, my favorite things aboutthe State of the Science
Meeting, we also bring togetheragricultural stakeholders as
part of that meeting so they canhear about that research, and
actually work to implement a lotof those findings into their own
work. And so we really try tobridge the gap between
(20:32):
researchers, scholars, and ouragricultural stakeholders. And
so those are some of the funthings that we have going on in
the center.
Phillip Stokes (20:45):
Yeah, I mean, it really sounds like the
Southeastern Coastal Center, aswell as other centers, look at
this from differentperspectives, kind of multiple
different angles.
Ashley Morin (20:56):
Yeah, no, absolutely. And I think that the
Southeastern Coastal Center, andlike you said, I think all of
the centers this is true for, isa really interdisciplinary
initiative where we're bringingtogether, even whenever we're
just looking at the scholars andthe researchers in the center,
they are from all differentsorts of disciplines. We have
(21:17):
people working in in fisheriesand occupational safety and
health, in IT and technology,AI. I think that we really do a
great job of bringing togetherall of those scholars and
bringing together the best ofminds to be able to look at
these issues because like we'vealready talked about
agricultural safety and healthis not a one sided issue. It's
(21:38):
not a one sided topic. And so wecan't look at it one sided. One
of the things that I'm reallyexcited about is working closely
with Cooperative Extension, andmaking sure that Cooperative
Extension knows about, ofcourse, the center as a
resource, but how we can betterinform Cooperative Extension
agents about agricultural safetyand health topics, and maybe
(22:01):
questions that they're gettingfrom their clients and how they
can address those. But then alsoconnecting those people with our
public health experts and ourpeople working in public health,
because those might not berelationships that they already
have, or that could at least bepursued even further. And so I
think that again, that's anotherreally cool focus point here at
(22:24):
our center is being able tobring together Cooperative
Extension as well as publichealth. And so the center is
actually an initiative here atthe University of Florida that
brings together the Institute ofFood and Agricultural Sciences,
so IFAS, as well as the PublicHealth College. And so I think
that that's, that's reallyexciting. And something that you
(22:44):
don't see every day.
Phillip Stokes (22:46):
Yeah, that's great. I'm picturing kind of
this extensive web, with thecenter, being at the center, you
know.
Ashley Morin (22:52):
Absolutely.
Phillip Stokes (22:52):
Like, with the Southeastern Coastal Center,
just bringing in all of thesedifferent, connecting all of
these different groups, fromhard science to stakeholders to
farmers and everything inbetween.
Ashley Morin (23:02):
Absolutely.
Phillip Stokes (23:03):
So you've talked about some of the work of the
Southeastern Coastal Center andsome of the specific
initiatives. Tell us a littlebit about the impacts or
potential impacts of theseactions.
Ashley Morin (23:15):
Yeah, no, absolutely. I think that there's
a lot of really cool impactsthat we're seeing already, like
I said, where we're pretty newcenter, especially when we're
thinking about this really bigcomplex problem, that we're
already seeing more informationsources being generated. Our
outreach core has developed alot of what, at least I think,
are really great communicationresources, info sheets, white
(23:40):
papers, really trying todisseminate information about a
lot of these complex problemsthat we're working on. But then
I think it's also really greatfor, as a center and as an
agricultural industry to thinkabout, what are some of the long
term impacts of this work? Ithink it's, we always want to
know about return on investment,of course, and as a citizen, as
(24:03):
a resident, I think that that'ssomething that's always top of
mind for me that I like to thinkabout, even when I put on my
communication hat. And so Ithink that it's really a great
goal for us to work towards howwe can really mitigate morbidity
and mortality in theagricultural workforce. And I
think that our center is able tobe really responsive to a lot of
(24:26):
these things, so that we cancreate more relevant and timely
research so that we can get tothat big grand goal, of course.
I think that we're alsodeveloping better data sources
and being able to again, reallybeing able to better understand
the problems associated withagricultural safety and health
and have better data to quantifywhere those essential risks
(24:49):
really are. And of course, Ithink that long term, just
thinking about the reduction ofinjuries and diseases and
impacts in the agriculturalindustry.
Phillip Stokes (25:00):
Yeah, that is an interesting point because, of
course, when you want to dogood, when you want to help
something, you want to see,like, results immediately. But
just identifying the problem,just doing that surveillance
that you mentioned, is the firststep of many. And it's not the
(25:20):
only step that I know the centeris doing. But just understanding
what is the landscape ofinjuries and health issues
within agriculture, right?
Ashley Morin (25:30):
Yeah, no, I think that's a great point. I mean, we
all want instant gratificationno matter what it is. But we
know that the the scientificprocess is anything but instant.
It takes time, and especially alot of these complex
experiments, it takes time toeven conduct, and then to be
able to get some great findingsout of this, then be able to
(25:53):
deploy interventions. And Ithink that that's really where
our stakeholders play a reallyimportant role. I have a great
stakeholder advisory board thatI'm able to work with quite
extensively of thinking about,Okay, it's great that we have
these research findings, that weknow about these risks, but how
can we actually get thisinformation out there into the
(26:14):
communities and into theagricultural workforce? And like
you said, that's going to take awhile. And so I think that it's
definitely not a short game.
We're in it for the long game.
And I think that it's reallyexciting to see how this is
going to evolve, and hopefullymake a real impact in the
agricultural industry, movingforward into future decades.
Phillip Stokes (26:35):
Yeah, that's wonderful. And can you tell our
listeners a little bit moreabout where they can learn more,
find out about the center andthe research that is being
conducted?
Ashley Morin (26:47):
Yeah, definitely.
So we actually send out amonthly newsletter. You can sign
up for our monthly newsletter onour website. And I think that
maybe we can link that in theshow notes. And each month,
we'll send you kind of a summaryof some of the work and some of
the products that we're doing inthe center. But then we also
like to share events ortrainings that are happening
(27:09):
throughout the region. And so Ithink there's a lot of really
great information that gets sentout in that newsletter. We're
also on Facebook, Instagram, andTwitter. So of course, we would
love to have our listenersfollow us there. And Phillip
also hosts some really greatmonthly webinars, where we talk
a little bit more with some ofthe researchers and some
(27:30):
stakeholders in the center. Andso I really encourage our
listeners to also attend thosewebinars. I think that there's
some really great informationshared there. But you can get
more information about all ofthis on our website at
sccahs.org. And I'm sure we'lllink that as well. But yeah,
we're getting a lot ofinformation out there. And we're
(27:51):
always welcome to feedback fromstakeholders, if there's
something that we can betteraddress or look at a little bit
more, or partner with. We arealways looking for new
opportunities in that way.
Phillip Stokes (28:06):
Yeah, that's, that's wonderful. It is so great
to hear all about it. And thework that you do as the
Associate Director of StrategicCommunication for the
Southeastern Coastal Center forAgricultural Health and Safety.
I love our long names forthings.
Ashley Morin (28:20):
That was a mouthful, great job.
Phillip Stokes (28:20):
It was so great to talk with you today. Yeah,
oh, thank you.
Ashley Morin (28:23):
Thanks so much for having me on, Phillip, I really
appreciated this and enjoyedbeing able to talk about this
important topic with you.
Ricky Telg (28:32):
Science by the Slice is produced by the UF/IFAS
Center for Public IssuesEducation in Agriculture and
Natural Resources. Thanks forlistening to today's episode.
Subscribe to Science by theSlice on your favorite podcast
app and give us a rating orreview as well. Have a question
or comment? Send us an email topiecenter@ifas.ufl.edu. That's
(28:55):
piecenter, all one word, atifas, I F A S, dot ufl dot edu.
We'd love to hear from you. Ifyou enjoyed today's episode,
consider sharing with a friendor colleague. Until next time,
thanks for listening to Scienceby the Slice.
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