Distribution of Worker Deaths Related to Grain Handling – 1985–1988

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bobick, Thomas G. ; Myers J ; Snyder K
• Description:
  Objectives: To describe grain-handling fatalities on U.S. farms by external cause of death so that intervention efforts may be appropriately focused. Methods: For the period 1985-1988, the National Traumatic Occupational Fatality database maintained by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) was reviewed to identify deaths associated with grain and forage handling among people aged > 16 years from the agriculture, forestry, and fishing industry classification who met the case definition of fatality at work. External causes of death were determined from death-certificate injury descriptions. Similar causes (e.g., suffocation under different grain types) were grouped, resulting in a total of 26 groups. Tractor rollovers were not included because tractors are used for activities other than grain handling. Results: Suffocation under grain and forage or in storage structures, auger entanglements, falls from machines or structures, and electrocutions from machinery contacting overhead power lines accounted for 55% of the 202 grain-handling fatalities examined. The remaining 45% of the deaths were partitioned among 22 other groups, with none individually contributing more than 5%. Seventy percent of the suffocation fatalities, which accounted for 20% of the total grain-handling deaths, were due to being buried under grain or forage. Auger entanglements and falls each accounted for 12% of the total fatalities. Eighty-four percent of the falls were from structures. Descriptive worker demographics were determined. Conclusions: The hazards associated with structures, augers, and machinery contacting overhead power lines are the leading external causes of death directly attributable to grain-handling activities. Although they have been addressed in various safety literature in the past, these hazards continue to cause farm fatalities. Knowledge of how grain-handling fatalities occur will help to identify priorities for continued intervention. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accidental Falls Accidents Agriculture Electric Injuries Mortality Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Agricultural Safety Agricultural Workers Electrocutions Falls Fatalities Grain Handling Mortality Data Suffocation
• Publisher:
  Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Georgia ; Illinois ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSR - Division of Safety Research
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  16
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20059832
• Citation:
  Second World Conference on Injury Control, May 20-23, 1993, Atlanta, Georgia. Des Plaines, IL: Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine, 1993 May; :16
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1993
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Second World Conference on Injury Control, May 20-23, 1993, Atlanta, Georgia
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:8bfe6c570e91f398053dcfa13c54c91ccf33fc77b0ae6f6de989b2bcfb27044ab44f332e0e683c475b3bef666d5a504217a5615dd73bf85be497b022e7b4e07c
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/223899/cdc_223899_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.05 MB ]