An analysis of agricultural safety and health education practices among first year agriculture teachers in Texas

NACTA Journal, Dec 2002 by Ullrich, Doug R, Hubert, Daniel J, Murphy, Tim H, Bagley, C Pat

Abstract

First year agriculture education teachers in Texas were surveyed during the 19981999 school year. The number of first year teachers surveyed was 118 and 74 participated. Of the 74 respondents, 57 were males and 17 were females with the mean age being 27.3 years. Fifty-seven percent of the teachers taught safety and health as separate independent units of instruction while the most common type of technology used was TV/VCR's and overhead projectors. The most useful formats for new educational materials were videotapes with study guides. Over half of the teachers had received CPR and first-aid training. One-fifth of the teachers held current CPR or first-aid certifications. Generally teachers have solid understanding of safety and health issues but fail to "practice what they preach."

This study recommends that teacher education programs place a much higher emphasis on safety and health issues during teacher preparation. Furthermore, professional development workshops and seminars need to be implemented to give teachers skills and educational materials that are necessary and easily useable in modern classrooms. A compilation of easy-to-use, interactive agricultural education safety education media materials needs to be developed and disseminated.

Introduction

Within our nation's public schools, concerns for the health and safety of student populations have recently grown in importance. Unfortunately, this attention has grown out of increasing instances of premeditated acts of violence. One outcome of these tragedies has been revision of school and campus safety policies by administrators and has created a sense of urgency to improve general student safety. Commonly overlooked in these policies however are non-violent, unintentional injuries and personnel safety training. This is notably consequential, as the cause of greatest concern for the health of children and adolescents has become unintentional injuries (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [DHHS] 1990).

In 1995, the National Safety Council reported there were 24 deaths per 100,000 agricultural workers and 140,000 disabling farm-related injuries (National Safety Council, 1996). This situation presents special challenges for career and technology education programs linked with dangerous occupations, such as agricultural education is to agriculture. Considering that teachers and administrators stand to a limited degree in loco parentis, it is a necessity for agriculture teachers to model safe practices and behaviors, and to create a positive safety climate for students. This is important for reducing preventable injuries, not only while the student is in school but also as they prepare to enter the workforce.

School administrators are charged with encouraging and developing the safety climate of their respective schools. Ullrich (1997) recommended that to promote a sense of urgency for safety, education administrators should develop a written safety plan and a detailed documentation system. Additionally, Lawver and Fraze (1996) recommended Texas agriscience teachers receive more preservice and inservice education in the areas promoting positive safety attitudes. These two efforts may yield dividends in eliminating preventable injury in agricultural education programs.

Safety and health education for agricultural education teachers have received increased consideration (Ford and Walson, 1997). In 1989, Johnson found that eleven of the top 18 agricultural mechanics laboratory competencies were safety-based. Swan (1993) recommended designating local and federal funds for use in improving safety and emergency equipment and instruction available to instructors and students. The importance of safety topics in preservice and inservice educational programs (Swan, 1993; Hubert, 1996) along with basic first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training / certification for agriculture teachers (Bear and Hoerner, 1978; Laird and Kahler, 1995; Ullrich 1997) has been suggested and offered periodically. However, in most cases it is left to individual school districts to require faculty to obtain and/or keep certifications current.

Healthy People 2000 (DHSS, 1990) recommended education aim at both reducing injury risk and in preparing students to be knowledgeable members of the adult community. This recommendation corresponds with goals of youth leadership organizations such as FFA. If agricultural education students are promoted as future leaders, then training and modeling of proper agricultural safety measures is desirable. This is important, especially for Texas with secondary agricultural education enrollments of almost 90,000 including 58,000 FFA members (Texas Education Agency, 1999).

Agriculture has the second highest rates of fatal injuries as compared to other occupations according to the U.S.Bureau of Labor Statistics (1999). Since a premise of agricultural education programs is to prepare students for careers in agriculture, the issue of reducing injuries, illnesses, and fatalities is essential to their training. The development of a positive and continuous safety climate within an agricultural education program is directly influenced by the personal attitudes and beliefs of the teachers managing that program. As such, a need has been established by the University of Texas Health Center and the Center for Agricultural Health, Injury Prevention and Education to determine the scope of health and safety education preparation for agriculture teachers including teaching resources used in secondary agricultural education programs.