William E. Field, professor and extension safety specialist, agricultural and biological engineering department, Purdue University, was recently honored and recognized for his outstanding accomplishments as a national leader of agricultural safety and health promotion through engineering and education.
Field has spent the past 38 years engaged in the field of agricultural education developing the next generation of professionals in the agricultural safety field, along with efforts to apply technology to enhancing the safety and health of agricultural producers, workers, and their families. During his years as professor at Purdue University, Field has provided instruction to thousands of students, along with tens of thousands of farmers, ranchers, agricultural workers, agribusiness owners, and rural emergency first responders concerning agricultural safety and health issues. Under his leadership; 32 graduate students have completed degrees in agricultural safety and health and many have taken leadership roles in the profession.
Field has made extensive use of agricultural media to promote safer and healthier work practices. He has prepared more than 575 news releases and articles and participated in 330 radio and television interviews. He supervised the development of a wide range of other agricultural safety and health resources such as movies, videos, and CDs. More than 135,000 copies of “Responding to Agricultural Emergencies”, of which he was technical editor, have been distributed nationwide, significantly enhancing the readiness of rural emergency personnel. He led the development of one of the first web sites on farm safety, www.farmsafety.org, and currently oversees several others.
In 1979, Field established the Breaking New Ground Resource Center that continues to serve the needs of farmers and ranchers throughout the U.S. who have been impacted by disabilities. This effort contributed to the establishment of the USDA AgrAbility Program that now serves farmers and ranchers through 22 state and regional projects.
Field has authored or coauthored more than 165 peer-reviewed articles, books, book chapters, and technical paper presentations. He has also designed and written coloring books that, along with widely used films on agricultural health and safety, have reached more than 300,000 children nationwide.
A 28-year member of ASABE, Field has held the position of associate editor for the Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health for many years. He chaired the original T-2 Safety committee and has also served on numerous other safety-related standards committee’s as well as the NAMIC Engineering Safety Award committee. In addition to various other professional awards, Field’s ASABE awards include the Young Extension Worker award and Packer Engineering Safety award, and 27 Educational Aids Blue Ribbon awards.
Field is a member of the National Institute for Farm Safety, Indiana Rural Safety and Health Council, and Rehabilitation Engineering Society of North America.
The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers is an educational and scientific organization dedicated to the advancement of engineering applicable to agricultural, food, and biological systems. Founded in 1907 and headquartered in St Joseph, Michigan, ASABE comprises 9,000 members in more than 100 countries.
