Work of "retired" farmers over age 50

Details

• Personal Author:
  Reed DB ; Westneat S ; Winter KD
• Description:
  Objectives: The average age of the American farmer is 55.3, compared with 39 for the U.S. worker. Farming is also one of the most hazardous industries in the nation. This paper describes the work behavior of older male and female farmers claiming to be completely retired yet who continue to perform farm work. Methods: The sample was extracted from the final wave of a 5 year panel study of farmers over age 50 who resided in Kentucky and South Carolina. Data for this analysis were collected via a single mailed survey (N=606). This report is based on 95 respondents who reported being completely retired from farming but reported performing at least one farm task in the past year. Results: Hours worked ranged from 0-80 in the past week (×=4.9 hours, S.D. 12.7) with no significant difference by gender or age. Males performed high risk activities and drove tractors more often than females. Personal satisfaction from farm work increased with age. The leading reason for work was "like to work." Three farm-related injuries were reported. Discussion: Farmers reporting to be completely retired from farming should not be excluded from occupational health and safety prevention-oriented interventions without first determining actual farm work practices. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aging Agriculture Behavior Environmental Exposure Farmers Men Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Women Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Age Groups Agricultural Agricultural Industry Etiology Exposure Levels Farm Workers Hazards Humans Physical Capacity Physiological Effects Physiology Risk Factors Work Environment Workers

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• ISSN:
  1538-0696
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant ; Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Kentucky ; OSHA Region 4
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1
• Volume:
  9
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20048896
• Citation:
  South Online J Nurs Res 2009 Jul; 9(3):1
• Contact Point Address:
  Katharine D. Winter, MPH University of Kentucky College of Public Health c/o Kentucky Cancer Program 909 Kenton Station Drive, Suite C Maysville, KY 41056
• Email:
  twinter@kcp.uky.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2009
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  University of Kentucky
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20010930
• Source Full Name:
  Southern Online Journal of Nursing Research
• End Date:
  20070929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:f321ce171d295f7532dc65eeec7477e9e5ca870045cf17bf5099ea08a4ead7eba81c865d668b83d2a714ef54d8112b746a580b7dcc9a9b632d1e2a7809b8f4d2
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/203516/cdc_203516_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 231.29 KB ]