Occupational safety and health, with a focus on precision agriculture. Worker-driven solutions for pesticide exposure, wildfire smoke, heat stress, and workplace injuries. Leveraging technology to prevent injury and illness in working populations. Community engagement and reproducible research. Strategic industry partnerships in agriculture, forestry, and fishing. Exposure assessment and epidemiology in work environments.
Air Quality and Wildfire Smoke. The Smoke Monitoring for Agricultural Safety and Health (SMASH) project implements real-time air monitoring and protective strategies to minimize smoke exposure among outdoor workers in rural Washington. We support rural workplaces by developing tailored safety measures for current and predicted conditions, including heat-related illness.
Pesticide Exposure and Drift Prevention. The Sprayer Technology Adoption and Related Skills (STARS) project evaluates new pesticide application technologies and training programs to reduce exposure risks in Northwest fruit farming. Farmworkers and their families face heightened risks from pesticide handling, drift, and take-home exposures. Our work supports safer application methods, worker education, and adoption of advanced sprayer technologies to mitigate risks. We collaborate with regulatory agencies, grower organizations, and industry partners to inform best practices in precision agriculture. See also: Prevention of Occupational Exposure to Pesticide Drift.
Fishing Safety and Lifejacket Adoption. Falls overboard and vessel disasters are the leading causes of death in commercial fishing. We work with fishing communities in Washington and Oregon to increase lifejacket use, improve vessel stability training, and enhance emergency preparedness. Our Fishermen Led Injury Prevention Program (FLIPP) for Lifejackets Mobile Program provides education, trials, and discounts to encourage adoption and address barriers such as comfort and fit.
Forestry and Logging Safety. Logging remains one of the most hazardous industries, with risks including falls, struck-by incidents, equipment failures, and extreme weather conditions. Our research, informed by industry collaboration, aims to reduce injuries and fatalities by promoting safer work practices, improved equipment, and updated training programs in Northwest Forest Worker Safety.
Training Based on Occupational Health Injury and Illness Trends. Our research supports workforce training through partnerships like the Agricultural Leadership Program, Washington’s Pesticide Advisory Board, and the NORA Sector Council for Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing. We analyze publicly-available workplace illness and injury data to identify trends, inform interventions, and guide safety for farming, fishing, and forestry workers. See Tracking Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing Health Indicators.
