AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY and FISHING

About the Office of Agriculture Safety and Health

NIOSH established the Office of Agriculture Safety and Health (OASH) within the Office of the Director in January, 2011. Workers in the agriculture, forestry and fishing (AgFF) sector experience the highest work-related fatality rate in the US. OASH provides leadership to prevent work-related injuries and illnesses among these workers. OASH sets strategic directions for, supports, and monitors and reports progress on AgFF safety and health research and public health practice activities, both intramural and extramural. OASH also bridges internal and external activities by facilitating research integration, partnership development, and research to practice.

Contacts

Brad Husberg
Captain, U.S. Public Health Service
Director
Manager, Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing Program
4230 University Drive, #310
Anchorage, AK  99508
907-271-5430

Captain Brad Husberg is an active duty Commissioned Officer in the U.S. Public Health Service and has been with NIOSH since 1992. He started working with the NIOSH Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Program in 2006. He is currently the Director of the NIOSH Office of Agriculture Safety and Health and the Co-Chair of the National Occupational Research Agenda Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Sector Council.

CAPT Husberg has Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing (BSN) and Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH).

Pietra Check
Deputy Director
Coordinator, Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing Program
395 E Street, SW Suite 9200
Washington, DC 20201
202-245-0660 (office)
202-491-2280 (mobile)
202-245-0648 (fax)

Pietra Check, MPH, has been with NIOSH since January, 2007 and with OASH since September, 2012. She specializes in reducing occupational safety and health disparities among foreign-born workers. Her work at NIOSH has focused on developing partnerships and new models of outreach for workers in agriculture, construction, and other sectors, and on metrics and evaluation. Her professional interests include the social determinants of health and health equity, health literacy, and the effective translation of research findings to public health practice.

Pietra earned her Master of Public Health degree from the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University and has a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology and Spanish Literature from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.