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Please add those who died as a result of a farm accident.
From: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/aginjury/default.html
- Agriculture ranks among the most hazardous industries. Farmers are at very high risk for fatal and nonfatal injuries; and farming is one of the few industries in which family members (who often share the work and live on the premises) are also at risk for fatal and nonfatal injuries.
- In 1990, NIOSH developed an extensive agricultural safety and health program to address the high risks of injuries and illnesses experienced by workers and families in agriculture. NIOSH supports intramural research and funds extramural research and prevention programs at university centers in 10 states. These programs conduct research on injuries associated with agriculture, as well as pesticide exposure, pulmonary disease, musculoskeletal disorders, hearing loss, and stress.
Fatalities:
- In 2016, 417 farmers and farm workers died from a work-related injury, resulting in a fatality rate of 21.4 deaths per 100,000 workers. Transportation incidents, which include tractor overturns were the leading cause of death for these farmers and farm workers.
- The most effective way to prevent tractor overturn deaths is the use of a Roll-Over Protective Structure (ROPS) with a seatbelt. In 2014, 62% of tractors used on farms in the US were equipped with ROPS. If ROPS were placed on all tractors used on US farms manufactured since the mid-1960’s, the prevalence of ROPS-equipped tractors could be increased to over 80%.
- Before tractors, horses were the most dangerous pieces of farm equipment. now, livestock accidents usually involve bulls goring their owners, or pigs, cows or other animals trampling farmers.
- Back 100 years ago, the most you had to worry about was getting jabbed by a pitchfork, maybe run over by your horses,
- From: (Health & Safety Executive Fatal injuries in Agriculture, forestry & fishing in Great Britain 2017/18)
- Figures published in the Health and Safety Executive’s report 'Fatal injuries in agriculture, forestry and fishing in Great Britain 2017/18' show 33 people were killed as a result of farming and other agriculture-related activities during the year.
- Being injured by an animal – work with and near cattle caused the most deaths.
- Agriculture has the highest rate of fatal injury of all the main industry sectors, around 18 times higher than the All Industry rate.
- Nearly half of the agricultural workers killed were over 65.
Injuries & Illnesses:
- Injuries in farming range from cuts and scrapes to total disabilities and fatalities. Most traumatic injuries occur during interactions with machinery, especially tractors.
- Tractor accidents: have been identified as the leading cause of deaths and disabling injuries on farms. Tractors are the most frequent cause (one-third to one-half) of injury for fatal farm accidents but account for a much smaller percentage (5 to 10 percent) of nonfatal farm accidents.
- Machinery Other Than Tractors: A host of other machinery, like combines, choppers and hay balers, also bring their own attendant dangers. Machinery-related injuries showed that most accidents occurred when the victim was struck by or struck against the machine while performing maintenance on combines with grain heads when the machine was not running. Other types of injuries that happen when working with machinery include entanglements in belts, chains, gears, power takeoffs at the tractor and along the PTO drive, and crop gathering and moving mechanisms.
- Non-machinery: Non-machinery related injuries is struck by or against an object. These injuries generally result in a bruise or fracture to the head and most often happen while performing chores involving animals or treating animals.
- Illnesses: Farmers and farmworkers have higher rates than other workers of respiratory disease, certain cancers, acute and chronic chemical toxicity, dermatitis, musculoskeletal syndromes, noise-induced hearing loss, and stress-related mental disorders.
- Many of these health issues have Cause of Death projects that would be more appropriate. (If one isn’t present, please go to: Cause of Death Projects needed???
Youthful farmworkers:
- An earlier study (1991) of injuries to farm youth (less than 20 years of age) in 1979, 1980, and 1981 used national statistics. According to this study,
- 1. about 300 youth die each year from farm injuries and 23,500 suffer nonfatal injuries;
- 2. rates of fatal and nonfatal injuries increase with the age of the victim;
- 3. fatal and nonfatal injury rates are much higher for males than for females;
- 4. more than one-half of the victims of fatal farm injuries die before reaching a physician, nearly one-fifth die in transit to a hospital, and about one-tenth live long enough to receive in-patient care;
- 5. nearly 90 percent of the nonfatal injuries were treated in an emergency room and released; and
- 6. accidents involving farm machinery accounted for most of the fatal and nonfatal injuries, with tractors being involved in more accidents than other machinery. Other farm machinery involved in such accidents were wagons and combines. However, these findings may be somewhat misleading because the data include deaths due to drowning and firearms and do not distinguish between recreation and farm-related activities as agents of death.
- A study of fatal farm-related injuries to children 9 years of age and under in Wisconsin and Illinois from 1979 to 1985 that used death certificate data showed the average annual death rates in the study population were 3.2 per 100,000 in Wisconsin and 1.5 per 100,000 in Illinois. The study found that the death rate was substantially higher for boys than for girls, that most fatalities occurred in July, and that machinery was the source of more than one-half of the injuries in Wisconsin and Illinois during the period of the study.
Statisics & some Fatalities in 2010:
- Bankrate recently ranked agriculture No. 8 in its The 10 of the most dangerous jobs in the US, stating the following about agriculture: “Working the land may be one of the oldest professions, but new efficient technology has done little to make the job any safer. Long hours and close, consistent contact with heavy machinery and equipment represent the bulk of injuries and fatalities on the job, which is largely represented by transportation incidents.”
- In 2010, there were 621 work-related fatalities in the U.S. agriculture industry.
- On Aug. 9, Irish farmer Michael O’Keeffe, 59, died from fume inhalation after dropping his cell phone in plastic-covered silage and attempting to get it. Three years ago, O’Keefe had lost a leg from the knee down in another farming accident.
- Steve Ferdelman, 53, Parkers Prairie, Minn., was killed when his tractor flipped and trapped him as he was pulling out another tractor stuck in mud.
- Warren Mumma, 68, St. Paris, Ohio, died after entering his grain bin to install a secondary auger and was trapped in a corn collapse.
- Sam Saufley, 59, Rockingham County, Va., was trampled and killed by a 1,500-pound bull.
- Timothy Harbison, 41, northern Idaho, fell off his tractor and was run over. He later died as a result of the injuries.
- Larry Goodwin, 62, Waco, Texas, was stung to death by killer bees (3,000 stings) while he was moving brush and disturbed the nest with his tractor. (For more, see Farmer’s death puts national focus on killer bees)
- Mike Wehri, 19, Mott, N.D., was killed while spraying a field after striking a power line.
- Joseph Carl Wagner, 53, Ripon, Calif., was knocked off his tractor by an almond tree branch and died from injuries sustained when the tractor ran over him.
- Michael Steele, 15, Frankford, Mo., was killed when he fell from a tractor and was run over by a trailer.
- Ronald Releford, 66, Hettick, Ill., was spraying weeds when his tractor turned over and trapped him for 10 hours. He later died from the turnover injuries.
- Scott Ferguson, 79, Sulphur Springs, Texas, was trapped and killed after being run over by a tractor.
- Ty Aagard, 25, Manderson, Wyo., was killed in a baler accident. Authorities said Aagard may have been pulled into a hay baler while trying to unplug the machine.
- Terrence Irwin, 62, Kingbury, N.Y., died after his tractor flipped. Irwin was hauling hay when his tractor jackknifed, pinning him underneath.
- Kenneth Hubbard Jr., 77, Erving, Mass., died after falling and being dragged by his draft horses.
References & Additional Reading:
- Western Farm Press - Death on the farm a grim reality of agriculture. Chris Bennett. 21 Aug 2013
- CDC - Agricultural Safety, 12 Apr 2018
- NASD - Ontario Farm Fatalities and Hospitalized Farm Machinery Injuries to Children aged 0-15 Years
- University of Illinois Extension - Agricultural Safety and Health - Fact Sheet
- Health, Safe, & Productive Lives - Fatal Accidents (Irish statistics 2008-2017)
- Modern Farmer - Death on the Farm. Jesse Hirsch. 16 Jun 2016
- Salem News.com - Tragic Accident Kills Lebanon Farmer by Electrocution. 30 Aug 2017
- University of Wisconsin, Agricultural Safety & Health - Wisconsin Farm Fatalities: where’s the trendline heading. by Mick Rankin. 2 Feb 2011
- CSG Midwest = Preventing farm deaths from tractor rollovers is goal of state-funded grant programs. by Carolyn Orr. May 2018 Stateline Midwest
Images from:
- EazySafe - Examining your industry - Agriculture (pie image)
- In the last ten years, almost one person a week has been killed as a direct result of agricultural work. Many more have been seriously injured or made ill by their work.
- Newsweek - Death on the Farm, By Max Kutner. 10 Apr 14. (Newsweek Image)
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