Northeast Center for Occupational Health and Safety - NEC

10/20/2025

Happy National Respiratory Care Week!

This week is National Respiratory Care Week!

Established by the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) in 1982, it was first officially proclaimed by President Ronald Reagan to recognize respiratory therapists and draw attention to the importance of lung health.

This week is particularly important to agriculture because of the severe and common respiratory hazards that farmers and farmworkers face every day. We are honored to support the respiratory health of farmers to create a safe and healthy environment for them to do the very important work they do for our nation.

The NYCAMH and Northeast Center team would like to take a moment to thank the amazing respiratory therapists and pulmonologists in the Bassett Healthcare Network. It was our very own pulmonologist Dr. John May who began the NYCAMH program in the 1980s!

Happy National Respiratory Care Week!

09/26/2025

Today's National Farm Safety and Health Week topic is ⚠️ ATV/UTV! Check out the webinars by AgriSafe Network on:

Safe Operation of ATVs + UTVs for Agriculture | 12 p.m. EST
https://learning.agrisafe.org/products/safe-operation-of-atvs-and-utvs-for-agriculture

Wheels of Misfortune: Off-Road Vehicles on Public Roadways | 2 p.m. EST
https://learning.agrisafe.org/products/wheels-of-misfortune-off-road-vehicles-on-public-roadways

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09/25/2025

Today's National Farm Safety and Health Week topic is ⚠️ Confined Spaces! Check out the webinars by AgriSafe Network on:

Confined Spaces in Agriculture | 12 p.m. EST
https://learning.agrisafe.org/products/confined-spaces-in-agriculture

AgriSafe Natural Disaster Recovery Response Think Tank | 2 p.m. EST
https://learning.agrisafe.org/products/agrisafe-natural-disaster-recovery-response-think-tank

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09/24/2025

Today's National Farm Safety and Health Week topic is ⚠️ Generations of Farming! Check out the webinars by AgriSafe Network on:

Communication Coaching to Support Farm Harmony Across Generations | 12 p.m. EST
https://learning.agrisafe.org/products/communication-coaching-to-support-farm-harmony-across-generations

Too Young to Plow Alone: Keeping Youth Safe on the Farm with AYWG + HAYWG | 2 p.m. EST
https://learning.agrisafe.org/products/too-young-to-plow-alone-keeping-youth-safe-on-the-farm-with-aywg-haywg

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09/23/2025

Today's National Farm Safety and Health Week topic is ⚠️ Health + Wellness! Check out the webinars by AgriSafe Network on:

Changing Our Mental + Emotional Trajectory (COMET) Community Training | 12 p.m. EST
https://learning.agrisafe.org/products/changing-our-mental-and-emotional-trajectory-comet-community-training

Strong Roots: Keeping Farming in the Family through Health + Resilience | 2 p.m. EST
https://learning.agrisafe.org/products/strong-roots-keeping-farming-in-the-family-through-health-and-resilience

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09/22/2025

Today's National Farm Safety and Health Week topic is ⚠️ Equipment and Rural Roadway Safety! Check out the webinars by AgriSafe Network on:

Road Safety + Agriculture as We Age | 12 p.m. EST
https://learning.agrisafe.org/products/road-safety-and-agriculture-as-we-age

Farm Equipment Hits the Highway: Growing Risks + Smarter Solutions | 2 p.m. EST
https://learning.agrisafe.org/products/farm-equipment-hits-the-highway-growing-risks-and-smarter-solutions

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09/19/2025

Next week is National Farm Safety and Health Week! We're proudly supporting AgriSafe Network's in-depth webinar series covering a new topic each day.

Monday: Equipment + Rural Roadway Safety
Tuesday: Health + Wellness
Wednesday: Generations of Farming
Thursday: Confined Spaces
Friday: ATV/UTV

Visit https://learning.agrisafe.org/national-farm-safety-training-topics to learn more and register!

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08/14/2025

NEC Research Scientist Mandy Roome, PhD, has been leading our efforts in tick and tick-borne illness research for a few years now. She's used to seeing big names associated with her work like borrelia bacteria and anaplasmosis, but Justin Timberlake is a new one!

Lyme disease has both serious short- and long-term impacts on your health. Be sure to heed Mandy's (or Justin's) words of caution and take measures to protect yourself! There are lots of available resources to help you learn how to prevent tick bites and lower your risk of related illnesses.

A tiny tick bite can lead to a life-altering illness. And this year tick bites are way up. What's going on?

07/30/2025

Last month, Northeast Center staff had the pleasure of hosting the annual International Society for Agricultural Safety and Health (ISASH) conference in Portland, Maine!

The ISASH organization and conference bring together agricultural safety and health professionals from around the world in order to share ideas and advance the field of occupational safety and health. Read more about this year's conference below!

PORTLAND, ME – From June 23-26, Northeast Center staff hosted the annual International Society for Agricultural Safety and Health (ISASH) conference in Portland, Maine. The ISASH organization and conference bring together professionals from around the world in order to share ideas and advance the ...

07/29/2025

It's time to make your a reality!

The Northeast Center has opened applications for the second round of funding through our IdeasThatWork Incubator. If you have an innovative idea to improve the health and safety of farmers, loggers, or commercial fishermen working in the U.S., this is your opportunity to turn that idea into a reality.

Proposals are due by September 30. Start your application today:

The IdeasThatWork Incubator provides support for the development of innovative ideas to improve the health and safety of agriculture, forestry, and/or commercial fishing workers.

07/15/2025

Today, our Director Julie Sorensen is in NYC presenting to the UN on drowning prevention practices in the Northeast!

Tune in this afternoon at 1:15 p.m. EST for a look at our work and the progress being made around the world to promote the safety of commercial fishermen.

Side event on 'Advancing Evidence-Based Solutions for Drowning Prevention in Fisheries and the Blue Economy' in the sidelines of the High-Level Political Forum.

06/16/2025

Women in ag across the Northeast: SUNY Morrisville graduate students want to hear from you! Through the survey linked below, their goal is to better understand the pivotal moments, professional development opportunities, and persistent challenges women encounter on their journeys to leadership roles in the industry.

Informed Consent