Safety
Preventing the Preventable
Understanding Hazards & Reducing Risk with Farm Equipment
By Maggie MacHale
Agriculture is one of the most dangerous industries in the U. S., alongside forestry, fishing and hunting, with one of the highest fatal injury rates, 18.6 deaths per 100,000 full-time equivalents compared to just 3.7 deaths per 100,00 for all industries, according to the CDC. The CDC also reports that from 2021 to 2022, there were 21,020 injuries in the industry requiring days away from work.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics also reported 417 total fatal injuries in 2022 in the agriculture sector. 140 of these fatalities were tied to contact with objects and equipment and 168 occurred from transportation incidents.
These tragic statistics, unfortunately, don’ t come as a surprise to most working in agriculture. This industry is riddled with injuries and accidents that can lead to downtime, costly claims, extended recoveries for employees and, in some cases, fatalities.
Machinery, Equipment & Transportation
Everyday equipment, such as ATVs, utility vehicles and farm trucks, are major contributors to the accident rates within agriculture, but one machine consistently ranks as the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries: tractors. A study from J Agromedicine out of North Dakota found that tractor-related injuries are the most severe of machine-related incidents, and accounted for five of six deaths within the report.
Machinery-related injuries can result in lacerations, crush injuries, amputations, suffocation or engulfment, and a significant amount of injuries occur during machine maintenance or service, 24.5 % according to the J Agromedicine study. Common accident scenarios include attempting to unclog running machinery and working near moving or energized systems.
Pinch points, crush points and wrap-up hazards are common within agricultural equipment, a major contributor being power take-off( PTO) shafts. Clothing and hair can get caught in the
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