Factors Associated with Personal Protective Equipment Usage Rates in the Central States: Generalized Multilevel...

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Safety and Health
• Occupational Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Personal protective equipment (PPE) is crucial for mitigating health hazards in agriculture.
• Understanding factors influencing PPE use is vital for developing effective safety interventions.
• Previous research has highlighted varying levels of PPE adoption across different agricultural contexts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify demographic and farm-related factors associated with lower PPE usage (chemical, respiratory, hearing) among US agriculture producers.
• To explore the relationship between PPE use and self-reported occupational injuries and diseases.
• To inform targeted interventions for improving agricultural worker safety.

Main Methods:

• Generalized multilevel multinomial logistic regressions were employed using 2018 and 2020 agricultural safety and health survey data.
• Models accounted for the hierarchical data structure (survey year, state of residence) and used Adaptive Quadrature for estimation.
• Multiple imputation addressed missing data within the hierarchical framework.

Main Results:

• Older age was associated with decreased PPE use across all protection types.
• Male producers reported higher use of chemical and respiratory protection compared to females.
• Producers on grain-only farms and those spending less time on farm activities showed varied PPE usage patterns.

Conclusions:

• Low PPE usage among specific agriculture producer groups (older, female, part-time, livestock-only farms) requires targeted interventions.
• Identifying high-risk groups allows for tailored strategies to enhance PPE adoption.
• Improving PPE use is essential for reducing health hazards and injuries in the agricultural sector.