Source
Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, R13-OH-008839, 2006 Sep; :1-3
Abstract
The NIOSH Western States Agricultural Health and Safety Conference took place Sept. 20-22 at the Asilomar conference grounds in Pacific Grove, Calif. Titled "Health and Safety in Western Agriculture: Research to Practice (r2p)," the conference was jointly sponsored by the Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety (WCAHS), the Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (PNASH) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Additional co-sponsors were: UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environment Sciences, UC Davis School of Medicine, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis College of Engineering, UC Davis Center for Environmental Health, California Dept. of Pesticide Regulations, California Department of Occupational Safety and Health, Beringer Blass Wines/Foster's Americas, Mariani Nut Company, Pedrick Produce, UC Berkeley Labor Occupational Health Program and the NIOSH Ag Centers located in Texas and Colorado. Conference participants were from 11 states: Oregon, California, Washington, Idaho, Hawaii, Nevada, North Carolina, New York, Alaska, Arizona and Colorado. Nearly 25 percent of the 110 attendees represented Western states public agencies, 20% of the participants at the conference were students or postdoctoral fellows in training. Other participants included producers, industry representatives, private consultants, and non-profit organizations, along with health care providers and agricultural worker advocates. Conference participants by their praise on site and through their completed evaluation forms valued the conference varied program and excellent speakers, thoroughly enjoyed the conference location and special events. The Beach Boardwalk BBQ and especially the National Steinbeck Interactive Center were hits. Each participant received a copy of Steinbeck's epic the Grapes of Wrath. Keynote speaker George Conway, M.D., M.P.H., director of NIOSH's Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Program, stressed the importance of NIOSH's initiative of research to practice (r2p) to reduce occupational illnesses and injuries in the next decade. The five thematic sessions focused on different areas of r2p, including new approaches for many university investigators to understanding the regulatory process of government agencies and advocate groups in shaping policy.
