The Farmworker Association of Florida (FWAF) was recently recognized as a national safety leader in the agriculture industry by the Agricultural Safety and Health Council of America (ASHCA).
FWAF was among eight individuals and organizations to receive this prestigious award in December 2019, recognizing the association’s leadership in the field through safety training, collaboration, promotion, education or research. The association will be recognized for its safety and health efforts at the North American Agricultural Safety Summit, March 19-20 in Las Vegas.
FWAF works closely with the Southeastern Coastal Center for Agricultural Health and Safety (SCCAHS), which is part of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) / National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Agricultural Health and Safety Initiative.
Paul Monaghan, associate professor of agricultural education and communication at the University of Florida and SCCAHS researcher, nominated the association for the award.
“I nominated the Farmworker Association of Florida for this award because of its dedication to the health and safety of agricultural employees for over three decades,” Monaghan said. “It has conducted research, advocated for laws and implemented training programs on pesticide safety, eye injury reduction and heat-related illness prevention.”
FWAF is a statewide, grassroots, community-based, non-profit, farmworker membership organization that works for social and environmental justice for farmworkers. The 10,000-plus member organization works in vegetable, citrus and foliage industries. FWAF trains farm employees about workplace safety.
“Our organization is distinguished from other organizations due to our large focus on the health and safety of farmworkers,” said Jeannie Economos, FWAF coordinator for pesticide safety and environmental health. “We are very grateful to be recognized and honored for this work that we have been doing for a long time.”
SCCAHS explores and addresses the occupational safety and health needs of people working in agriculture, fishing and forestry in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
