Washington – An expert panel rated NIOSH’s Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Program a 5 out of 5 for research in high-priority areas relevant to improving workplace safety. The AgFF Program is part of NIOSH’s National Occupational Research Agenda, a set of partnerships to identify and study workplace safety concerns in specific sectors.

The panel was convened and chaired by Dr. Paul D. Gunderson, director of the Dakota Precision Ag Center and former director of the National Farm Medicine Center. Its report (.pdf file), dated June 26, assessed the AgFF Program’s work from 2007 to 2012. The program received a relevance rating of 4 in a previous review conducted in 2007.

Regarding impact, the panel gave the AgFF Program a 4 – up from 3 in 2007 – for progress in reducing child death rates on agricultural worksites and promoting safer technology use on the decks of fishing vessels.