In cooperation with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), The Ohio State University (OSU) is conducting a multiple-phase, population-based health and hazard study of Ohio cash-grain farmers and their families. Phase 1 of this effort, which started in June of 1993 and was completed in November of 1993, involved the sampling of 4,860 cash-grain farms from the comprehensive statewide roster maintained by the Ohio Agricultural Statistics Service. A self-administered postal questionnaire was administered to the sample and non-respondents were telephoned and surveyed on the phone.
One section of the questionnaire elicited information about the injury experience (in the past 12 months) of the operators, their spouses, children, and others who regularly lived or worked on the farm. As with most of the health-related questions, the injury questions were largely modeled after the National Health Interview Survey (specifically the 1988 occupational supplement). The results of our survey will be discussed and the general injury experience of the respondents will be characterized. In particular, the injury experience of the farm operators will be described and the results of specific tests of hypotheses will be presented.
In the
year prior to completing the questionnaire, a total of 234
injuries were reported to have occurred among 6,616 (3.5%)
operators, spouses, children, and others living or working
on the farm. This figure excludes migrant and/or seasonal
workers. Of the 1,793 operators completing questionnaires,
128 (7.1%) experienced at least one injury. Approximately
84% of the injuries to operators occurred on the farm, and
about 69% of them were farming-related.
This research abstract was extracted from a portion of the proceedings of "Agricultural Safety and Health: Detection, Prevention and Intervention," a conference presented by the Ohio State University and the Ohio Department of Health, sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
The authors noted above are from: All at The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.
Disclaimer and Reproduction Information: Information in NASD does not represent NIOSH policy. Information included in NASD appears by permission of the author and/or copyright holder. More
