Aging Begins at 30

Farm Deaths Increase

Farmers lead healthy lives but, farming is dangerous. Farmers smoke less, drink less, and are more active than most other adults. Their calorie intake and cholesterol percentage is higher but their death rate from coronary artery heart disease is 10% lower than matched contemporaries. Each year, four of every 10,000 agricultural workers (an average of 700 people per year in the United States) are killed and 140,000 disabling accidents occur especially in planting and harvest seasons. Agricultural workers are 8% of the work force but sustain 29% of work fatalities.

Augers, those corkscrew devices that move grain, feeds, or fertilizers up to 100 feet, are by hourly accident rate the most dangerous equipment. Unshielded augers catch clothing and lead to leg or hand amputation. Workers move augers by hand, fall into them, and die from injuries and massive bleeding. Electrocution from auger power line contact also occurs.

Barriers are needed to keep onlookers away. Farm children under 18 should not operate augers. Protective close-in shields are needed and should be used. Electric outlets should be carefully blocked during repair. The switch should be clearly tagged "Power off" and why. No loose clothing or hair should be allowed, and there should be no hand grain-flow redirection. The apparatus should be labeled dangerous.

Farm tractor deaths are the most common work-related deaths. Rollovers account for 130 U.S. work-related deaths yearly. Of 28 recent rollover accident deaths 23 occurred on the farm and 5 on roadways. All involved males, 54% were aged 60 or older and 43% were retired, often from non-farming occupations. Rollover accidents occurred mainly from noon to 6 PM (53%) usually on inclines. Only one of the 28 tractors had a rollbar and 8 had minimally functioning brakes.

Fluid-filled tires can add stability as can counter weights. Rollover protective structures (ROPS) with seat belts are especially protective but ROPS were not required until 1976. Farms with fewer than 11 employees are not subject to enforcement. Children under 16 are prohibited from operating 20 hp or larger equipment but family-farm children are exempted.

Mishandled large round hay bales, weighing 750 to 1,500 pounds, cause preventable farmer deaths. Seven Minnesota farmers (mean age 55) died from bale accidents in a recent two-year period. In nearly half of 41 hay bale accidents the hay bale fell from equipment, 22% involved tractor rollovers, and in 17% the bale fell in a storage area or off a transport vehicle. Bales are more safely transported in a rear lower position than by front end loaders. ROPS and seat belts are needed. Head injuries are a common mode of death.

Farm accident data have been abstracted from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System over a two-year period to highlight the danger for youths under 20. Injuries numbered 117,700 or 1.6 per full time equivalent worker per year (FTE is 2,000 hours of work per year). In males it was 2.4 injuries per 100 FTEs and in females 1.5 injuries/FTE worker.

About 1,600 accidents occur with subjects who are under 15, and there are peaks of about 30,000 each between age 25 - 34 and age 35 - 44 in both sexes. These data are needed to develop prevention programs, but so far they only represent 36% of all agriculturally related injuries. Your county extension education director can give you more information on farm safety, or you can call the National Safety Council at 1-800-621-7615 ext. 2379.

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