UF Law Research Faculty Joan Flocks is a key member of a new multidisciplinary, five-year center to decipher the occupational health and safety concerns of individuals working in the forestry, fishing and agricultural industries.
The University of Florida is hosting the new Southeastern Coastal Center for Agricultural Health and Safety which is funded through a nearly $10 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
The center is currently helping to adapt a national heat-stress campaign – expected to be rolled out June 12-15 – to Florida. The campaign will focus on different aspects of heat-stress protection.
“This is an incredibly important issue in Florida,” Flocks said. “Within the last few years we’ve had a couple of heat-related deaths of agricultural workers in the field that could have been possibly prevented.”
