Conferences
Heat Stress in Agriculture: Education and Extension Outreach Programming in Response to State and Federal Regulations
Michelle Infante-Casella, Kate Brown, William Bamka, and Stephen Komar
Summary
The agriculture industry is an employment sector that includes at-risk workers when it comes to heat stress and heat-related illnesses. In 2024, the New Jersey Legislature proposed enhanced heat stress regulations for workers who were required to perform tasks outdoors and in warehouses. The proposed regulations included new and expanded rules. If passed, the state rules would be significantly more stringent than federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations for employers to implement. Interestingly, OSHA was concurrently developing updated heat stress rules during this same time period. The agricultural industry in NJ looked to Rutgers Cooperative Extension and recognized a long history of heat stress education and outreach to farmers. Discussions on the subject and conclusions revealed a vast majority of NJ farmers had conducted responsible management pertaining to workers and heat stress in the past, much in part to years of programming from Rutgers Agricultural Agents. With the subject once again in the spotlight, the Rutgers Farm Health and Safety team answered the call to assist with communications, ramped up education, and expanded outreach on the subject of agricultural heat stress. The team conducted a series of live webinars, published regular e-newsletter articles, developed farmer self-assessment tools, and published fact sheets. Heat stress information was distributed through comprehensive efforts in cooperation with NJ Farm Bureau and the NJ Department of Agriculture. State legislation was stalled, but the Federal OSHA updates are in the public comment phase and are expected to be published in the second half of 2025.
Details
| Conference | 2025 Extension Risk Management Education National Conference |
| Presentation Type | Poster |