striving to make work safe for workers and less costly for farms

The main goal of the Thoroughbred Worker Health and Safety Study, a five-year research study funded by the CDC, is to make work safe for workers on Thoroughbred farms, which should in turn reduce costs for farm owners and managers. In order to reach that goal, this study aims to better understand the circumstances associated with common and uncommon illness and injuries experienced byThoroughbred workers. It will do this by:

1) determining the farm safety and health challenges related to a diverse workforce;
2) identifying strategies that farms have tried or established to address these concerns; and
3) developing and distributing tools and resources, free of charge, that farms can use to enhance worker safety and health.

These aims will be accomplished through the study's three phases.

Phase One: in-depth interviews with farm owners, managers, and/or human resource personnel. 
Phase Two: community-based interviews with Thoroughbred workers.
Phase Three: using information gleaned from the first two phases, health and safety resources will be developed, evaluated, and distributed to owners, managers, and workers on Thoroughbred farms in Kentucky.

The Thoroughbred Worker Health and Safety Study is being led by Dr. Jennifer Swanberg and is guided by two advisory councils: a community advisory board comprised of community service and health leaders, and an industry advisory board, comprised of leaders from Kentucky’s Thoroughbred industry. Members of the advisory boards are recognized below.

The Thoroughbred Worker Health and Safety Study is currently in Phase One, meaning that interviews are on-going with farm representatives. For questions about the study, please contact Dr. Swanberg at jswanberg@uky.edu, 859.323.0585, or contact the Project Manager, Jess Miller Clouser, at thoroughbred@uky.edu, 859.323.0587.