Development, validation, and implementation of an evidence-based instructor curriculum for the agricultural hazardous occupations order certification program

Agriculture has been characterized as a hazardous occupation that employs an estimated 850,000 youth in the United States. Training is necessary to ensure this workforce experiences the safest possible work environment while laboring in agriculture. As a result, the USDA/NIFA has awarded funding on a competitive basis to Land Grant Institutions to conduct, evaluate, and enhance the Hazardous Occupations Safety Training in Agriculture (HOSTA) program. The HOSTA program is designed to provide relevant educational opportunities in an effort to reduce the frequency and severity of farm-related injuries to all youth who work in agricultural production. Its purpose is also intended to meet the current training requirements of the Agricultural Hazardous Occupations Order (AgHOs) for non-exempt youth. The Cooperative Extension Service and secondary school agricultural science and business programs are designated by the AgHOs as the only entities eligible to conduct and affirm completion of certification training. However, the law does not identify the minimum core competencies necessary for instructors, and there are currently no evidence-based criteria to assess the preparedness of individuals who provide instruction to youth seeking AgHOs certification. One of the objectives of this project was to identify and validate prescribed criteria and desired core competencies for instructors who conduct certification training. The methods used to identify the minimum criteria and core competencies, along with the validation process are discussed. From these criteria and competencies, a curriculum for all instructors of AgHOs certification programs was created, tested, and evaluated.