Nonfatal Farm Accidents: Report of a Pilot Study and Review of the Literature

  • Chalkley, Thomas H. F.;
  • Evans, Alfred S.;
  • Walsh, Leroy G.
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AUTHOR ABSTRACT

A study of 66 farm accidents requiring medical care occurring in Dane County, Wisconsin, in the summer of 1956 has been made by means of personal interview, standard questionnaire, and on-the-spot visits. The results of these studies have been compared with those of others reported in the literature.

  • Machines, falls, and animals account for the majority of accidents and often result from unfamiliarity with the object, poor state of repair, and carelessness.
  • In most accidents, human factors outweighed the mechanical. Children and the aged(60 to 69) constituted special risks. Fatigue, working after hours, and hurrying were common in accidents. Medical disability was infrequently associated.
  • The most common injuries were fractures, lacerations, contusions and abrasions in that order. Hospitalization was necessary for only 13 of the 66 (20%), but was expensive since an average hospital stay of 14 days was involved. In all 66 cases, a total of 1,391 days of partial disability resulted, an average of 21 days per accident. Approximately half the victims had total insurance coverage, and 19 others were partially covered.
  • Few of the accident victims had taken formal training in farm safety.
  • The role of the rural physician in prevention of farm accidents and in minimizing their consequences is discussed.
JOURNAL AND NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE ID#

JOURNAL: Wis Med J. 1958; 57: 118-126.

Note: Wisconsin Medical Journal.

NLOM ID#: No ID #.

This document was extracted from the CDC-NIOSH Epidemiology of Farm Related Injuries: Bibliography With Abstracts, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

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