In this day-long workshop, participants will learn about and have an opportunity to practice using and teaching ergonomic practices to prevent injuries and support season-long productivity. Topics that will be covered include:
- Basics of ergonomics in agricultural settings
- Practical communication strategies to use when teaching and supervising employees about safety, health and ergonomic topics
- Considerations related to body mechanics for women and implications related to pregnancy, post-partum, and menopause
- Buckets, Bales & Bags - Lifting and carrying heavy items
- Working in Weather - Selecting, fitting and using PPE across body sizes and types
- Selecting and using hand tools (from hoes and shovels to pruners and small-engine power and corded equipment)
- Strengthening and Stretching for farm work
- The Wash-Pack Shed - Opportunities and challenges to designing work spaces that work across body sizes and types.
Participants will leave with a simple action plan help implement improvements on their farms.
Some parts of the workshop will be indoors in heated spaces, but much of the hands-on practice will be conducted outside and in unheated spaces, so dress in layers and come prepared for the weather.
Presenters include: Aaron Yoder, Farm University of Nebraska Medical Center, who specializes in ergonomic approaches to safety and health in agriculture; Linda Emanuel, director of Women’s Health for the Agrisafe Network; Kendall Kunelius, Seth Wilner & Jesse Wright, University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension; Rachel Steviator, Catamount Farm, University of Vermont Horticulture Research and Education Center.
