Research

PNASH Research Projects

pnash reasearch

Our projects are multidisciplinary and respond to a variety of needs, from health care and monitoring to safety engineering and training.

Projects are competitively reviewed and funded. Topics we propose:

Address hazards that are the most serious, affect the greatest number of workers, and where that research will make a difference.
Meet the needs of Northwest employers, workers, and service providers. We have established a process that engages constituencies from agricultural, health, and safety to help us establish research priorities.

View our current active projects (pdf)

View our Annual Report

PNASH Research Priorities

PNASH Center priorities are established from regional needs assessments from data review and stakeholder advisories, and guided by the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) for Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing.

Searchable Database

Sort research projects by status, type, or topic area.

Forestry Workforce Location- and Wearable-based Activity Recognition to Quantify on-the Job Digital Health and Safety Metrics

NIOSH Funding Period 2022-2027 | Robert Keefe, PhD and Eloise Zimbelman, PhD

Logging is among the most dangerous professions in the United States. Manual felling of timber with chainsaws and setting of cable log chokers accounted for 47% of injuries in Idaho between 2011-2014.

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Respiratory Health and Indoor Air Quality in the Cannabis Industry

NIOSH Funding Period 2022-2027 | Christopher Simpson, PhD and Carolyn Sack, MD

Over the past decade, there has been a dramatic expansion of the Cannabis industry in multiple US states.

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Engineering Solutions to Reduce Pesticide Exposure and Waste on Northwest Fruit Farms

NIOSH Funding Period 2022-2027 | Edward Kasner, PhD, MPH and Lav Khot, PhD

The overall objectives of this project are to evaluate emerging pesticide application technologies and educational programming as interventions for breaking the pesticide exposure pathway on Northwest

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Tracking Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing Health Indicators: RISC 2.0

NIOSH Funding Period 2022-2027 | Viktor Bovbjerg, PhD, MPH

Fatal and non-fatal injuries in the agriculture, forestry, and fishing sectors remain both elevated and poorly documented, compared to other work settings.

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Fishermen Led Injury Prevention Program (FLIPP) for Lifejackets Mobile Program

NIOSH Funding Period 2022-2027 | Laurel Kincl, PhD, CSP

In commercial fishing, fatalities occur when those lost were not wearing a lifejacket. Commercial fishermen deaths have extended impacts on the coastal communities and families.

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Community Health Interventions with Yakima Ag Workers "El Proyecto Bienestar"

Various funding sources 2009-2021 |

El Proyecto Bienestar (EPB) or, Well Being Project, is a long-standing community health intervention effort guided by a Yakima Valley community advisory board.

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A Multi-Level Approach to Heat-Related Illness Prevention for Agricultural Workers

NIOSH Funding Period 2016-2022 | June Spector, MD, MPH

Heat risks are preventable, yet are the cause of injury, illness, and death, particularly affecting outdoor workers. Heat events are predicted to be more frequent and occur for longer periods of time, and

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Washington State Dairy Safety Network

WA SHIP 2019-2022 | Elena Austin, DSc, MS

The Dairy Safety Network project brings bilingual and bicultural safety materials and training opportunities to Northwest dairy owners and managers.

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Injury and Illness Prevention for the Pacific NW Dairy Industry

NIOSH Funding Period 2016-2022 | Michael Yost, PhD

Worker’s compensation claims data show dairy workers have a higher injury rate than workers in other industries. Industry specific risks include acute injuries from animal assaults, slips and falls on wet

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