• Our Function
• Why Agriculture Safety?
• Statistics
• Our Staff

Our Function

The UC Farm Safety Program is dedicated to improving prevention of work-related injury and illness in California agricultural workplaces.

One of the main functions of the University of California Cooperative Extension's Farm Safety Program is to promote agricultural health and safety education and awareness in the workplace. Through the publication of a quarterly bilingual newsletter, Farm Safety,we strive to keep readers aware of the many occupational hazards in agriculture.

The newsletter also provides training topics for agricultural managers to address in their safety programs. Articles on topics such as tractor safety, heat illness, grain entrapment prevention, and farm safety for children are available in both English and Spanish.

Over the past three years, our program has become involved in local and national efforts to protect children who live in farming environments. A major accomplishment nationally has been the establishment of the North American Guidelines for Children's Agricultural Tasks, intended to guide adults in assigning age-appropriate tasks to children. These guidelines are available through a link to the National Center for Children in Agriculture in our Children's Corner. Locally, a major accomplishment has been the creation of Spanish-language materials for teaching farm and rural safety to children of migrant workers. For more information on this project, visit the Children's Corner.

Why Agricultural Safety?

Agriculture is one of our most hazardous industries. In 2001, nationwide, the agriculture, forestry and fishing industry had the second highest fatality rate, at 22.8 fatalities per 100,000 employed. In 1997, there were 705 incidences of fatal injuries and 50,544 incidences of nonfatal injuries on U.S. farms.

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Statistics

Our Staff

Dr. James M. Meyers
UC Farm Safety Specialist
jmmeyers@uclink4.berkeley.edu

Ms. Martha Stiles
mcstiles@ucdavis.edu

Ms. Melanie Zavala
Farm Safety Training Coordinator
mlzavala@ucdavis.edu

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