Iowa Farm and People Characteristics and Agricultural Accident Occurrence

  • Williams, David L.

AUTHOR ABSTRACT

The findings in this study can be summarized as follows:

  • Agricultural accident frequencies were significantly related to the size of the farming operation. Larger farms are more likely to have an agricultural accident than smaller farms.
  • Agricultural accident frequencies were significantly related to farm type, as defined in this study. Beef and dairy farms are more likely to have an agricultural accident than corn, soybean, hog or general livestock farms.
  • Agricultural accident frequencies were significantly related to annual farm exposure to agricultural work. Farms reporting more than 4,500 hours of exposure annually had a higher accident frequency than with less exposure.
  • Agricultural accident frequencies were significantly related to age. Persons between 25 and 64 years of age were found to have more accidents than other age groups.
  • Agricultural accident frequencies were significantly related to sex. Males were found to have relatively more accidents than females. The difference between sexes could not be entirely explained by differences in exposure levels between males and females.
  • Agricultural accident frequencies were significantly related to an individual's annual exposure to agricultural work. Persons who performed agricultural work more than 1,500 hours per year were found to have higher accident frequencies than persons who had fewer hours of exposure.
  • No significant relationship was found between tractor and machinery operators' level of formal education and tractor or machine accident frequencies.
  • No significant relationship was found between tractor and machinery operators' completion of 4-H or Vocational Agriculture Hazardous Occupations Order tractor and/or machinery safety training program and tractor or machine accident frequencies.

The most significant finding in this study is the strong correlation between the level of annual exposure and agricultural accident occurrence. Of the variables measured in this study, including formal education and safety education, the level of annual exposure to agricultural work best accounts for the differences in agricultural accident occurrence among groups of workers and groups of farms.

SOURCE AND NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE ID#

SOURCE: Ames, Iowa: Iowa State University; 1983. 82.

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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