Occupational health and safety management systems in animal production agriculture

Abstract

The relationship between the level of occupational health and safety management system (OHSMS) programming and the rates of occupational injuries and illnesses in dairy and poultry production industries was investigated in this study. It was hypothesized that higher rates of OHSMS programming would be associated with lower injury rates. The individual OHSMS components and attributes with the strongest associations were identified, and the relationships between workforce size, injury rates, and OHSMS programming were also investigated. Data on OHSMS and injury rates for the U.S. dairy industry were obtained from Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) On-Site Consultation Service records. The OHSMS and injury data were paired using a non-descript identification number and analysed using Spearman Rank-Order Correlation. Generally, weak-to-moderate negative associations were observed between OHSMS programming and injury and illness rates, overall and by OHSMS component. The observed associations were much stronger and tended to be statistically significant when only those records with the most complete assessments of an organization’s OHSMS were considered in the analysis. A major limitation of correlational studies is the possibility that an unknown variable(s) may explain some or all of the observed association. To account for this limitation, the research method was applied to a second dataset: OSHA consultation records from the U.S. poultry production industry. Similar associations were found, suggesting that the observed relationships are indeed representative of the true relationship between OHSMS programming and injury rates. The lack of temporality was another important limitation, because there were no data available on the potential changes in injury and illness rates that may have occurred due to the OHSMS assistance provided by OSHA consultants. To address this limitation, data from a survey of OSHA consultation clients across a wide range of industries was reviewed to determine the usefulness of the OHSMS assistance provided by OSHA consultation to Colorado small business clients, and identify changes that were enacted as a result of that assistance and what the effects of those changes might be. The survey results indicated that the OHSMS assistance was helpful for clients to enact changes such as improved safety programs and training, and that these changes resulted in positive outcomes, including fewer injuries and improved morale. Ultimately, the results of this study provide important preliminary data supporting further research and development of OHSMS interventions for animal production agriculture industries as part of a comprehensive risk management approach to reduce work-related injuries and illnesses. Management leadership was the OHSMS component with the strongest association with lower injury and illness rates, in both dairy and poultry production industries. In addition, the importance of thorough assessments of client OHSMS programming by OSHA consultants was evident, as were the benefits of OHSMS consultation services to small business clients. Further research is warranted to develop and evaluate OHSMS interventions for animal production industries. Economic outcomes should be considered in this research, as well as OHS outcomes and OHSMS programming.