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Resources by Topic: Occupational health and safety

Workplace Violence Prevention: Impacting Providers and Patients, with Kathy Griffis
An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast featuring Kathy Griffis, Chief Operating Officer of Titus Regional Medical Center in Mount Pleasant, Texas. Focuses on her facility's recent efforts to reduce violence and ensure safe healthcare environments for their staff and patients. Part 3 in a 3-part series from the December 2025 Health Innovation Potluck held in Hutchinson, Kansas.
Date: 04/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Environmental Risk Factors and Iowa's Cancer Crisis: A 2026 Report
Reports on environmental factors influencing the high incidence of cancer in Iowa, including detailed discussion on cancer risks related to pesticides, PFAS, nitrates, radon, and other topics related to agricultural and industrial safety. Provides recommendations for strengthening environmental health in agricultural policy.
Author(s): Colleen Fowle, Sarah Howe, Kerri Johannsen, et al.
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organizations: Iowa Environmental Council, The Harkin Institute
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Cancer in Iowa 2026
Provides data on cancer incidence, characteristics, and survival in Iowa. Provides county-level estimates of new cancers, cancer deaths, and those living with cancer as of 2026. Features a section on how cancer impacts Iowa's farming population and related issues of agricultural health, drinking water quality, and pesticide use.
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Iowa Cancer Registry
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Health Concerns of Women in Agriculture in the Midwestern United States
Presents a study exploring the health and safety needs of women working as agricultural producers. Bases findings on a survey of 120 agricultural women in Nebraska. Explores concerns about zoonotic diseases, reproductive health concerns, musculoskeletal disorders, and mental health challenges, among other issues common to agricultural work.
Author(s): Cheryl L. Beseler, Megan Lutt, Alex Egbuchiem, Ellen G. Duysen
Citation: Journal of Agromedicine, 31, 11-19
Date: 01/2026
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Personal Protective Equipment for Influenza A (H5N1) in High-Risk Farm Settings: Proceedings of a Workshop
Summarizes discussions from a workshop on H5N1 in farm settings. Includes information on transmission, best practices for personal protective equipment (PPE), PPE innovation, outreach regarding PPE use, and research needs on effectiveness of PPE for H5N1.
Additional links: Read Online
Date: 2026
Sponsoring organization: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Coal Workers' Pneumoconiosis–Associated Deaths — United States, 2020–2023
Reports on deaths associated with coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP), an occupational lung disease caused by inhaling coal mine dust. Includes data by industry and occupation, with most deaths occurring among those employed in the mining industry, a largely rural industry. Discusses the need for comprehensive prevention and screening.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 74(41), 627-633
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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NIOSH Extramural Research and Training Program: Annual Report of Fiscal Year 2023
Highlights the work of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Extramural Research and Training Program in fiscal year 2023 including funding distribution, research activity, and more. Includes information on the work of the Centers for Agricultural Safety and Health.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
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Harvesting Risk: An Ecologic Study of Agricultural Practices and Patterns and Melanoma Incidence in Pennsylvania
Examines associations between melanoma incidence, agricultural land use, and herbicide-treated acreage in a 15-county cluster in southern Pennsylvania including both metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties, utilizing 2017-2021 PA Cancer Registry data. Discusses how environmental, occupational, and behavioral challenges related to agriculture and cancer incidence are shared among urban and rural communities.
Author(s): Benjamin J. Marks, Jiangang Liao, Charlene Lam, Camille Moeckel, Eugene J. Lengerich
Citation: JCO Clinical Cancer Informatics, 9, e2500160
Date: 11/2025
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Staying Strong on the Job: Physical and Psychosocial Benefits of Exercise for Agricultural Workers
Evaluates the impact of an exercise program among 25 agricultural workers. The program aimed to improve strength to reduce workplace injuries. Discusses both measured and perceived changes in functional capacity.
Author(s): Nicholas Spokely, Diego Diaz-Vega, Lindsey Phillips Abernathy, et al.
Citation: Journal of Agromedicine, 31(1)
Date: 11/2025
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Dissemination of Heat Safety Practices among Florida Farmworker Crews
Explores the efficacy of heat related illness safety training for farmworkers working on harvesting crews in Florida. Breaks down participants post-intervention rates of hydration knowledge, risk perception, and buy-in, among other measures.
Author(s): Miranda Carver Martin, Linda Forst, Michael Siciliano, et al.
Citation: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 67(8), e518-e524
Date: 08/2025
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