Carolyn Sheridan Poster |

Rapid Development of Respiratory Protection Guidance Resources for the Agricultural Community During COVID-19

Carolyn Sheridan, BSN, Executive Director, Ag Health and Safety Alliance; Jenna Gibbs, PhD, Director of Operations, Ag Health and Safety Alliance

Carolyn Sheridan is the Executive Director of the Ag Health and Safety Alliance, a non-profit organization focused on training young adults, who are the next generation of ag. She has more than 25 years of educational experience on ag health and safety topics, including appropriate respirator use.

Learning objectives:
1. The reader will be able to discuss the importance of certified respirators for doing specific agricultural tasks, and how these differ from the cloth face coverings used during the pandemic.
2. The reader will be able to share some tips on how to conserve respirators during times of PPE shortage.
3. The reader will learn more about how resources are swiftly generated in times of crisis to respond to workforce needs.

Discuss this presentation with the authors on Tuesday, November 17 from noon – 12:30 on the Zoom Live-stream

Abstract

The recent COVID-19 pandemic led to high demand for all types of respirators and other types of PPE. Despite the shortage, farmers and ranchers still needed respiratory protection for many agricultural tasks. The purpose of the poster is to describe our organization’s collaborative efforts with the NIOSH-Funded AFF Centers in Nebraska, Iowa, California, and Colorado to develop two important resources in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The two resources highlight best practices for use of respiratory protection during the pandemic (including tips for conserving respirators when inventory is low) and guidance for appropriate use of cloth face coverings at the workplace. The purpose of this poster presentation is to highlight key features of the resources and to discuss future plans for innovative use of the two resources in the Gear Up for Ag Safety and Health™ training program. The resources are titled Respiratory Protection During the COVID-19 Pandemic Best Practices for the Agricultural Community and Cloth Face Coverings to Reduce Spread of COVID-19.

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Carolyn talks us through her poster