Occhealth Bulletin
02 December 2009
Risks and trends associated with tractor overturn fatalities
Category: Reviews
One of the most hazardous industries to work in is the agricultural production industry. Many farm workers are exposed to a wide range of hazards contributing to fatal and non-fatal injuries, respiratory illnesses, noise-induced hearing loss, dermal conditions, sun damage and exposure to chemicals (fertilizers and pesticides). One of the leading causes of fatalities in agricultural settings is tractor overturns. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) estimated that during 1992 and 2005, 18.7% of all agricultural production deaths were as a result of tractor overturns.
A study has just been published by John R. Myers and Kitty J. Hendricks to determine trends and risk factors associated with tractor overturn fatalities. The researchers analyzed data derived from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries and the Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) was used to code the nature of injury, part of body affected, event and source. Statistical analyses were applied to determine risk factors (including age, geographic region of death and relationship to the farm) associated with tractor overturn fatalities.
A positive outcome determined by the authors was that tractor overturn fatality rates decreased between 1992 and 2007. However, a number of statistically significant (p<0.0001) characteristics (type of farm, age, victim’s relationship to the farm and geographic region) appeared to be associated with tractor overturn fatality rates.
Crop production farms had greater tractor overturn fatality rates than livestock production farms although the authors suggested further research was required to determine why this should be so. Farmers and farm workers over the age of 55 years were at higher risk of death due to tractor overturns and this finding had been replicated in a number of previous studies. Farmers who were family members were found to be more at risk from fatal tractor overturns than hired farm workers on the farm. This may be due to the fact that most farms in the US do not hire their workers. Those farms that do hire staff also tend to have Rollover Protective Structures (ROPS) such as protective cab areas and roll bars fitted to their tractors. The results also showed that farm workers in the Northeast, South and Midwest regions of the US were more likely to have fatalities as a result of tractor overturns. This is despite the positive finding that the regions of Northeast and South had a significant decrease in fatality rates during the study period consistent with an increase in the prevalence of ROPS retrofit installations.
The overall finding that tractor overturn fatalities had decreased during the study period was likely due to the increase in the number of farms fitting ROPS to their machinery. In terms of further improving these statistics, the researchers suggested that “interventions, such as ROPS retrofit incentive programs, should consider these high-risk populations”.
Take a look at our pathfinder titled ‘Agricultural Industry’ and further information about other Occupational Health matters from the Examinetics, Inc. website at www.examinetics.com.
REFERENCE
Myers, J.R. and Hendricks, K.J. (2009) Agricultural tractor overturn deaths: assessment of trends and risk factors. American Journal of Industrial Medicine. Early view.