Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Occupational health and safety

CDC COVID-19 Response Health Equity Strategy: Accelerating Progress Towards Reducing COVID-19 Disparities and Achieving Health Equity
Provides an overview of the CDC strategy to improve health outcomes for populations disproportionately affected by COVID-19, including people living in rural and frontier areas, racial and ethnic minorities, and other populations. Describes four priorities: expanding the evidence base; addressing testing, contact tracing, isolation, healthcare, and recovery; supporting essential and frontline workers to prevent transmission of COVID-19; and developing an inclusive workforce to address the diverse U.S. population.
Date: 07/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
view details
Rural Healthcare Surge Readiness
Resources for rural healthcare systems preparing for and responding to a COVID-19 surge. Includes resources for emergency medical services, inpatient and hospital care, ambulatory care, and long-term care settings. Addresses a wide range of topics including healthcare operations, space, supplies, funding, and more.
Date: 07/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: COVID-19 Healthcare Resilience Working Group
view details
Update: COVID-19 Among Workers in Meat and Poultry Processing Facilities ― United States, April-May 2020
Provides data from 28 states on the number of meat and poultry processing facilities affected by COVID-19, characteristics of affected workers, and COVID-19–associated deaths among workers. Data on cases and deaths through May 31, 2020 were obtained from 239 affected facilities. Also describes interventions and prevention efforts at these facilities.
Author(s): Michelle A. Waltenburg, Tristan Victoroff, Charles E. Rose, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 69(27), 887-892
Date: 07/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
view details
Community-based Program to Increase Use of Hearing Conservation Practices among Farm and Rural Youth: A Cluster Randomized Trial of Effectiveness
Examines the effectiveness of two interventions regarding knowledge and attitudes toward hearing conservation among farm and rural youth. Discusses the prevalence of hearing loss among farmworkers and the risks of exposure to farm noise from an early age.
Author(s): Marjorie C. McCullagh, James J. Yang, Michael A. Cohen
Citation: BMC Public Health, 20(1), 847
Date: 06/2020
Type: Document
view details
Improving Mental Health Care by Understanding the Culture of Farming and Rural Communities
Session one of a four-part webinar series on the interplay of COVID-19 and the mental health crisis in rural and agricultural communities. Discusses co-occurring substance use disorders, telehealth, and provider compassion fatigue, among other issues.
Additional links: Session 2: Approaching and Treating Co-Occurring Mental and Substance Use Disorders in Farming and Rural Communities, Session 3: Providing Mental Health Telehealth Services in Farming and Rural Communities, Session 4: Co-Occurring Mental and Substance Use Disorders in Farming and Rural Communities: Assessment, Ethics, and Preventing Compassion Fatigue
Date: 06/2020
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organizations: Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network, Mountain Plains Mental Health Technology Transfer Center
view details
Association of Farm-Related Occupations with Psychological Distress & Mortality
Highlights the factors contributing to psychological distress and mortality among farm-related occupations. Discusses the health risks associated with agricultural labor and their psychological and physical outcomes. Slide presentation from the 2020 National Rural Health Association Annual conference.
Author(s): Ahmed A. Arif, James N. Laditka, Sarah B. Laditka, Oluwaseun Adeyemi
Date: 06/2020
Type: Presentation Slides
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
view details
Trends in Pneumoconiosis Deaths — United States, 1999–2018
Examines deaths due to pneumoconioses, preventable occupational lung diseases caused by inhaling dust particles such as coal or mineral dust. Includes data by type of disease and by state, as well as data for the top industries and occupations associated with pneumoconiosis deaths, including mining.
Author(s): Jessica L. Bell, Jacek M. Mazurek
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 69(23), 693-698
Date: 06/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
view details
COVID-19: Rural Hospital Compendium
Summarizes Missouri Hospital Association's (MHA) efforts to help rural hospitals address the COVID-19 pandemic. Includes information on advocacy and financial support, the rural healthcare workforce, telehealth, personal protective equipment, and more.
Date: 06/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Missouri Hospital Association
view details
Mortality Among Persons with Both Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Aged ≥25 Years, by Industry and Occupation — United States, 1999–2016
Reports on deaths with both asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as the underlying or contributing cause of death. Examines deaths by industry and occupation for men and women, with data by age for those 25-64 years old and 65 and older. Includes data on industries and occupations more common to rural areas, including agriculture, forestry, and mining.
Author(s): Katelynn E. Dodd, John Wood, Jacek M. Mazurek
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 69(22), 670-679
Date: 06/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
view details
2020 National Emergency Medical Services Assessment
Describes emergency medical services (EMS), EMS emergency preparedness, and 9-1-1 systems at the state and national levels, using data from a survey completed by representatives of 54 states and U.S. territories. Features statistics in categories including EMS organizations, response and patient care, workforce health and safety, disaster preparedness, and funding, including funding provided by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy.
Date: 05/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Association of State EMS Officials
view details