Pilot Projects

CARERC exists to provide state-of-the-art, interdisciplinary occupational safety and health research, education, and training opportunities for stakeholders in 177 high-need counties of eastern Kentucky, West Virginia, eastern Tennessee, western North Carolina, and Virginia. Regional pilot studies funded through CARERC address strategic aims of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health(CDC/NIOSH) and the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA II). These aims include, but are not limited to, improving sector- and state-based occupational disease and injury surveillance, promoting risk-hazard reduction in forestry and logging, reducing injury and disease exposures among workers due to circumstances that may limit their options for safeguarding their safety and health, and promoting prevention through design (PtD).

2018-2019

Providing training, Naloxone, and supplies to protect against accidental fentanyl exposure to law enforcement agencies in four counties: Boone, Campbell, Kenton and Grant counties The four counties served by the Northern Kentucky Health Department – Boone, Kenton, Campbell, and Grant – have been some of the hardest hit by the opioid epidemic...	Addressing Opioid Safety-Related Knowledge Gaps and Concerns of Kentucky First Responders Currently, there are no evidence-based training interventions for first responders that addresses the gap in knowledge regarding protection against...
Maternal Occupational Exposure to Noise: Prevalence, Maternal Effects, and Infant Outcomes Occupational noise exposure is a significant public health concern. Excessive exposure to noise has been found to be associated not only with hearing loss and...	Drowning in Dust: The Burden of Black Lung Disease in Central Appalachia “Drowning in Dust” includes oral histories and photographs to document lived experiences and stories of coal miners with black lung disease and progressive massive...
Evidence based harvest planning interventions for whole body vibration exposure in logging Few if any logging contractors consider the health risk presented by exposure to whole body vibration in their safety and health plans for logging equipment...	Characterization of real and simulated forces on back biomechanics to promote safety in horse racing jockeys Race riding is physically challenging and requires athletic training akin to professional sports occupations. Occupational ergonomic interventions include considerations of physical capabilities...
Kentucky First Responders Occupational-Related Fentanyl (Opioids) Exposure: Development of a Statewide Information Dissemination and Training Strategy The proposed project involves the development of a statewide, standardized opioid exposure information dissemination and training strategy which incorporates CDC/NIOSH recommendations and includes...

2017-2018

Developing Educational Tools to Prevent Injuries Among Spanish-Speaking Hispanic Workers during Harvesting and Ensiling

This project continues the research funded by a PPRT in 2016-2017 allowing us to report impactful outcomes. Plant silages, such as corn or alfalfa silages, are a type of feed typically fed to...

Special Submissions Call

CARERC launched a special submissions call to address concerns about exposure and health effects of first responders, emergency, and law enforcement personnel to opioid drugs. Awards were made to...

2016-2017

Developing educational tools to prevent silage-related injuries and fatalities among Spanish-speaking Hispanic farm workers Plant silages, such as corn or alfalfa, are a type of feed typically fed to cattle in almost every dairy and beef farm. In the US, approximately 119 to 128 million tons of corn silage are produced...	Total Worker Health in Rural Workplaces: Challenges of Implementation and Follow-Up Workplaces continue to struggle with cost incurred in areas of both health protection and health promotion. Rural locations can present some additional challenges for workplaces wanting to create...
Farming Community Respiratory Protection Partnerships Effective January 2, 2017, revisions to the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Worker Protection Standard (WPS) will be effective. Among these revisions is the requirement that any...

2015-2016

Enhancing musculoskeletal health and preventing injury in migrant and seasonal farmworkers Migrant and seasonal farmworkers (MSFW) are at risk for developing musculoskeletal symptoms and injuries (MSSI) due to repetitive, physically demanding tasks sustained over long periods. They have...	Agricultural and Forestry Worker Health Risks from Pesticides: Evaluation of Global Impact, Epigenetic Effects and Synergism Directly on Human Systems The US Department of Labor Statistics report that agriculture is one of the most dangerous occupations in the country. If chronic health conditions are included in this analysis, the threat is...
Exploring the epigenetic link for occupational woodsmoke exposure induced inflammatory response among wildland firefighters We are proposing to investigate epigenetic changes (DNA methylation) in association with occupational wood smoke exposure among wildland firefighters. Specifically, we will investigate changes in...	Role of biomechanical causation mechanisms for LBP among truck drivers Within the transportation, warehousing, and utility industry sector, truck transportation has the highest number of work-related musculoskeletal disorders with low back pain (LBP) at the root of...

2014-2015

Assessment of dust exposure and lung function in Appalachian agricultural workers Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive disease that is characterized by limited airflow associated with inflammatory response in the airways and lungs to particles and gases...	Analysis of Composting Techniques and Fly Control Programs to Reduce Disease Risk and Improve Farm Worker Safety In a recent intensive study of farms in East Tennessee, Salmonella enterica was present in 32% of unprocessed litter samples and 8% of flies collected. Salmonella was also detected in produce,...
Effectiveness of insecticide-treated clothing to prevent tick and mosquito exposure in foresters and loggers in western North Carolina Outdoor workers in the forestry and logging industries often face occupational health hazards such as insect bites and the extent to which exposures are linked to vector borne disease is not fully...	Avian-livestock links in the demography of zoonotic bacteria and their implications for farm-worker health In addition to Dr. Westneat, 4 other researchers were involved including Dr. Michael Flythe of the USDA, 2 PhD students and a visiting undergraduate intern from the AgroSup University in France. ...
Development of a Culturally Effective Educational Program in the Prevention of Heat Stress Among Spanish Speaking Hispanic Farm Workers in Rural East Tennessee This inter-professional pilot study uses a community based participatory research (CBPR) approach to develop and evaluate a culturally effective method to educate Spanish speaking Hispanic farm...	Appalachian Firefighters Exposure to and Perception of Risk Numerous articles have identified the known and recognizable health and safety issues that paid professional firefighters encounter when responding to a fire, however, there has not been a robust...
Developing a web-based application to generate automated access routes from timber harvesting sites to emergency personnel locations In the process of developing a web-based application (that has the ability to be used with a mobile interface and/or developed into an App for smartphone usage) to automatically generate least...