Agricultural Injuries Among Farmers and Ranchers in the Central United States During 2011–2015

Details

• Personal Author:
  Achutan, Chandran ; Baccaglini L ; Haynatzki GR ; Johnson A ; Loomis D ; Rautiainen RH
• Description:
  The high risk of occupational fatalities in agriculture is well documented, but information on non-fatal injuries is lacking due to challenges in injury surveillance. This surveillance study explored the frequency, characteristics, and risk factors for non-fatal injuries among farmers and ranchers in the central United States. The Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health (CS-CASH), in collaboration with the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), conducted annual surveys (n = 34,777 sent) during 2011-2015 covering a seven-state region (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, and South Dakota). The average response rate was 32% in the five consecutive annual surveys. The average injury incidence rate was 7.0 injuries/100 operators per year. Most injuries (89%) occurred during agricultural work. The most frequent sources of injury were livestock (22%), machinery (13%), and hand tools (12%). Risk factors for injury included: male gender, younger age (vs. 65+ years), farming as the primary occupation, greater work time, greater land area, ranch (vs. farm), organic farming, internet access, and production of several types of crops and animals. Most injuries (56%) required a doctor visit, and 12% required hospitalization. The average medical costs were $1,936 out of pocket and $8,043 paid by insurance. The combined average costs for most serious injuries were $7,858. Most injuries (66%) resulted in some lost time from agricultural work, and 13% were serious, resulting in more than 30 days of lost work time. The non-fatal injury rate for self-employed farmers and ranchers was higher than that of hired agricultural workers reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This result reaffirms farming/ranching as a dangerous occupation and emphasizes the need for efforts to prevent agricultural injuries, especially those associated with identified injury sources and risk factors. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accidents, Occupational Agriculture Epidemiology Farmers Morbidity Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety
• Keywords:
  Accident Accident Rates Agricultural Workers Author Keywords: Agriculture Cost Costs Disability Farm Workers Injuries Injury Morbidity Rates Risk Factor Risk Factors Surveillance

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• ISSN:
  1059-924X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Nebraska ; Nevada ; OSHA Region 7 ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  62-72
• Volume:
  26
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20062589
• Citation:
  J Agromedicine 2021 Jan; 26(1):62-72
• Contact Point Address:
  Risto H Rautiainen, Department of Environmental, Agricultural and Occupational Health, College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-4388, USA
• Email:
  rrautiainen@unmc.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2021
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  University of Nebraska Medical Center - Omaha
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20110901
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Agromedicine
• End Date:
  20270831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:902b15c44353e5ef2f3e07537ac439cd3b252243b65b563ac20c675fd1ac90d974f53be2244e96a414a0086e02f0c20763dc13bec2374e0e098ed137810d7adf
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/225799/cdc_225799_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 765.45 KB ]