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Evaluation of an Online Training for Supervisors of Young Agricultural Workers
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Evaluation of an Online Training for Supervisors of Young Agricultural Workers

Diane S Rohlman, Megan TePoel and Shelly Campo
International journal of environmental research and public health, Vol.18(19), p.10395
10/02/2021
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph181910395
PMCID: PMC8508500
PMID: 34639693
url
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph181910395View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Adolescents and young adults (<25 years) working in agriculture are at greater risk of injury than youth working in other industries. Supervisors play an important role in protecting these young workers who lack workplace experience and whose bodies and brains are still developing. A theoretically based approach was used to develop an online training for supervisors of young agricultural workers. The training addresses an expanded view of occupational safety that not only addresses injury prevention, but also focuses on health promotion and worker well-being using a Total Worker Health approach. A pre-post/post study design was used to evaluate the training. Questionnaires included demographics, workplace characteristics, knowledge, beliefs about protecting young workers, and supervisors’ communication behaviors. One-hundred-eighty-two participants completed all parts of the efficacy trial. A post-test administered immediately after completing the training, indicated that supervisors had greater understanding of the risks to young workers and at 3-month follow-up were more likely to engage in communication behaviors to protect the safety and health of young workers. Positive changes in when, how, and under what circumstances supervisors talk about safety and health occurred. Establishing patterns of protective behaviors in the workplace can have lifelong impact, particularly among young workers.

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