# Centers for Agricultural Safety and Health

The Centers for Agricultural Safety and Health (CASH) are a set of 12 NIOSH-funded agencies focused on occupational health in industry involving food or plant products, such as fishing, forestry, and agriculture. The agencies were established in 1990 under the Agricultural Health and Safety Initiative.

## National Ag Safety Database

The National Ag Safety Database (NASD) was developed with funding from the United States National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the USDA Cooperative Extension Service (CES). The information contained in NASD was contributed by safety professionals and organizations from across the United States. Specifically, the objectives of the NASD project are: 1) to provide a national resource for the dissemination of information; 2) to educate workers and managers about occupational hazards associated with agriculture-related injuries, deaths and illnesses; 3) to provide prevention information; 4) to promote the consideration of safety and health issues in agricultural operations; and 5) to provide a convenient way for members of the agricultural safety and health community to share educational and research materials with their colleagues. Currently, it is mostly funded by the Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health (CS-CASH).

### History

The original concept of NASD was a deliverable collection of safety materials contained within CD-ROMs, where the updates on CD would be periodically released. In October 1993, NIOSH provided funding through its Agricultural Health Promotion System (AHPS) grant program to develop the first CD-ROM NASD through the University of Florida's Cooperative Extension Service (CES). The first prototype of the CD-ROM collection was delivered to a select group of reviewers in October 1994, containing materials from institutions participating in the AHPS grant and from elsewhere. Reviewers provided their suggestions in a March 1995 workshop, and the general release occurred in June of the same year.
The Information Technology program associated with Florida CES was developing tools to deliver Extension publications electronically through the internet, and in October 1996, NIOSH funded a three-year program to update the database and convert the database into HTML format for delivery on the World-Wide Web. By October 1997, the entire database had been converted and a web-site was established. Expansion of the database continued, and CD-ROMs of the content were also produced during 1997 (NASD'97), 1998 (NASD '98), and 1999 (NASD '99). In 2001, NIOSH funded the program to expand and maintain NASD. In 2002, The Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (USDA-CREES) added funding support for NASD.
In 2002–2006, NIOSH funded NASD through the Southern Coastal Ag Center (SCAC). Dr. Carol Lehtola directed the project. In 2007–2009, NIOSH funded NASD through the University of Florida – again, Lehtola directed the project. After a four-year hiatus, in 2013 NIOSH resumed support for NASD with funding through the Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health (CSCASH), the Southeast Center for Agricultural Health and Injury Prevention (SCAHIP), and the High Plains Intermountain Center for Agricultural Health and Safety (HICAHS).

## List of NIOSH Ag Safety Centers

NIOSH CASH research centers are focused on the topic of health and safety in agricultural practices. These centers not only conduct research on the subject of occupational disease and injury prevention, but also promote agricultural health and safety through educational outreach programs.These groups are mainly funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, but are also funded by the US Department of Agriculture, and other state agencies.
The centers include:
* PNASH - Pacific Northwest, run by the University of Washington
* WCAHS - West, run by UC Davis
* HICAHS - High plains Intermountain, run by Colorado State University
* SW Ag Center - Southwest, run by the University of Texas
* SCCAHS - Southeast Coast, run by the University of Florida
* SCAHIP - Southeast, run by the University of Kentucky
* CS-CASH - Central States, run by the University of Nebraska
* UMASH - Upper Midwest, run by the University of Minnesota
* GPCAH - Great Plains, run by the University of Iowa
* NEC - Northeast, run by the New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health (Bassett Healthcare Network)
* NCCRAHS - National Children's Center for Rural Agricultural Health and Safety, run by the Marshfield Clinic Research Institute
* Great Lakes Center for Farmworker Health and Well-being - run by the University of Illinois Chicago

### National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety

The National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety (NCCRAHS) was established in 1997, funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. It is the only center with an exclusive child focus. The mission of the NCCRAHS is to "enhance the health and safety of all children exposed to hazards associated with agricultural work and rural environments". The director is Barbara C. Lee, PhD.