Vocational and technical education programs continue to play a pivotal role in developing workers' occupational safety and health skills in all industries. The Agricultural Safety Education Initiative was first conducted in the summer of 2017 as a multi-year "Train the Trainer" program to improve teachers' tractor and machinery…

Agriculture is one of the most hazardous industries in the United States for all workers, and even more so for young workers. In the U.S., legislation prescribes training for youth under the age of 16 working in hazardous situations in production agriculture. Virtual Reality (VR) technology has become an increasingly popular means of deploying…

Educational laboratory management is a paramount issue in agricultural education settings. Agricultural mechanics laboratories are found in many agricultural education programs. One of the most important issues an instructor in agricultural education settings faces is safety in the agricultural mechanics laboratory. Identifying and cultivating a…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of utilizing an evidence based, "Train the Trainer" approach to increase the safety knowledge and awareness of secondary students. Participating teachers attended a 10-hour, inquiry-based summer training workshop utilizing National Safe Tractor and Machinery Operations Program…

Agricultural mechanics instruction includes a broad array of machinery, structures, and technical systems, as well as a diverse workforce. Virtually every aspect of agriculture has a mechanics component and a large portion of secondary agriscience curriculum is devoted specifically to teaching agricultural mechanics. Further, the agricultural…

A pressing concern in all agricultural mechanics courses is safety. Lab activities have an inherent propensity to cause serious injury. The safety practices which are taught by teachers are largely dependent on the equipment in the laboratory and the resources available to the program. Various researchers have indicated that problems have existed…

This descriptive survey research study sought to gather evidence of school-based agriculture teachers' perceptions of community supervisor involvement with supervision and planning of students' Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) work activities and safety training professional development needs. Responding teachers indicated they agreed to…

Minimum passing scores for the Gearing Up for Safety: Production Agriculture Safety Training for Youth curriculum (Gearing Up for Safety) were set in 2006 with widely used and established procedures by efforts of subject matter experts (French, Breidenbach et al., 2007; French, Field, and Tormoehlen, 2006, 2007). While providing a research-based…

The USDA/NIFA has awarded funding to Land Grant Institutions to conduct and enhance the Hazardous Occupations Safety Training in Agriculture (HOSTA) program. The HOSTA program is designed to provide relevant educational opportunities in an effort to reduce the frequency and severity of farm-related injuries to all youth who work in agricultural…

The incorporation of hot and cold food bars into grocery stores in an effort to capture a portion of the home meal replacement industry is presenting new challenges for retail food establishments. To ensure retail success and customer safety, employees need to be educated in food safety practices. Traditional methods of training are not meeting…

The prevention of foodborne illness in childcare centers is a major public health concern. One prevention mechanism is the education of childcare providers. Because of the very diverse population in the childcare profession, the constant turnover rate and the need for high-quality, accessible training, providing this training proves to be an…

Responses from Indiana 4-H tractor driving contestants 1982-197 (n=139) showed that 74% were employed on farms; most felt the contests effectively taught tractor safety and made them generally aware of safety. However, many still engaged in risky behaviors such as not wearing seatbelts in tractors with rollover protective structures or allowing…

Farmers and ranchers with physical disabilities (552 of 1,954) responded that their most hazardous tasks involved working with livestock and machinery. They needed training in injury prevention, and they preferred newsletters and similar resources as information sources. (SK)

Stakeholder groups (150 farmers, 36 secondary agriculture teachers, 16 preservice teachers, 85 nonfarm secondary students, 128 farm students) were surveyed. They agreed on farm safety topics to be taught, but differed in levels of belief concerning the need to teach it. Farm and nonfarm students gave the lowest priority to farm safety topics. (SK)

Are state FFA officers' awareness levels of agricultural topics reported in mass media superior to those who do not serve in leadership roles? The purpose of this study was to determine elected state FFA officers' awareness of biotechnology, and their confidence and trust of biotechnology information sources. Descriptive survey methods were used…