Agricultural Injuries: Improving Occupational Safety
Agriculture is one of the most hazardous industries in this country, with more than 700 occupational fatalities and 120,000 work-related disabling injuries occurring annually. Physically demanding tasks, utilization of machinery, proximity to animals, and exposure to environmental toxins make farming an inherently dangerous occupation. The diversity of tasks, work environments, and workforce demographics associated with agribusiness creates unique ergonomic and workplace safety challenges.

As one of the largest industries in the United States, agriculture employs over 2 million people annually. Most agricultural workers are male, although there are growing numbers of women: currently, 23% of farm operators and 19% of farm workers are female. Migrant workers comprise about 50% of the agricultural workers in the United States. Children also make a significant contribution: there are 1.4 million individuals under the age of 20 who reside in farm households and an additional 600,000 who work on farms as hired labor.

Despite the danger, agriculture is largely exempt from federal guidelines designed to improve workplace safety and protect workers. The 1970 Occupational Safety and Health Act established national workplace safety standards, mandated employer cooperation and documentation, and assessed penalties for noncompliance; although agriculture was included in the original federal regulation, an amendment in 1976 exempted all farms with fewer than 11 workers. Likewise, family-run farms and farms with fewer than 11 employees are exempt from compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Standard for Agricultural Equipment, established in 1979, which mandates safety features on machinery and precautionary training. Since 95% of US farms are family-owned, federal guidelines that have dramatically improved working conditions and decreased workplace hazards in other industries have had little impact on agribusiness. Furthermore, guidelines to protect child workers under the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act fail to specify age or hazard restrictions for children working on family farms and allow children aged 12 years and older to work on other farms with parental permission. Finally, although the 1983 Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act sets forth stipulations regarding wages and working and housing conditions, the regulations have been poorly enforced.

The lack of safety regulations, inconsistent employee training regarding hazards and use of personal protection equipment, and the perilous nature of the agricultural industry combine to create a work environment that is fraught with potential for injury. Machinery-related injuries and deaths, falls, respiratory disorders, certain cancers, neurologic disorders, skin problems, hearing loss, burns, eye injuries, and stress all occur frequently in agriculture. Because of the physical nature of their work, farm workers are prone to musculoskeletal disorders, which can be particularly problematic. Back pain, repetitive motion injuries, sprains, and strains can be difficult to heal without cessation of the causative activities. However, many farm workers fear losing their jobs if they take time off, cannot afford to stop working due to low wages, or are the primary worker on their operation and have no one who can assume their duties. In addition, safety practices often are perceived as expensive or time-consuming and, therefore, impractical.

The cost of agricultural injuries, however, far outweighs the time and money needed to create a safer environment. For injuries requiring hospitalization, the financial burden can be catastrophic, especially since the majority of farm workers do not receive health insurance through their employer, nor are they covered by workers' compensation benefits. Productivity losses associated with injury can be enormous, particularly when the primary farm operator is the affected individual. The work of a farm does not stop even if the person responsible for daily operations is incapacitated, so farmers tend to work despite injuries when possible or resume work before injuries are fully healed, which can result in re-injury and longer recovery time. The answer, clearly, is to keep injuries from occurring.

The hazards of the agricultural industry have been recognized by workforce agencies such as the US Department of Labor, The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the National Safety Council. However, due to cultural and historical reasons that contributed to lack of occupational regulation of agriculture compared with other occupations, the industry has traditionally resorted to voluntary injury prevention and safety education programs.

Numerous farm-based safety improvement initiatives have been created and implemented, although few have been rigorously evaluated. Many programs address ergonomic risk factors associated with agricultural tasks. Other efforts target children involved in agriculture, attempting to educate parents about developmentally appropriate task assignments and young people about farm safety. Engineering designs have decreased mortality and morbidity associated with agricultural machinery injuries, and programs promoting the use of personal protective equipment have decreased the incidence of eye injuries and pesticide exposures.

Although many interventions have demonstrated increased participant knowledge and some have reduced the incidence of farm injuries, there is a need for ongoing and more rigorous evaluation of these programs. Initiatives that fail to produce safer working conditions and practices waste time and resources. In addition to voluntary safety programs, it is time to reconsider the appropriateness of exemptions from federal guidelines that are designed to promote workplace safety and protect workers. The rates of occupational fatalities and injuries in agriculture remain unacceptably high.

In 1996, The United States Preventive Services Task Force recommended counseling for parents, adolescents, and adults regarding prevention of household and recreational injuries. Clinicians can obtain an occupational history to identify individuals at risk for agricultural injuries and counsel workers and families about safe machinery practices, use of personal protective equipment, and age-appropriate tasks for children on the farm. Health departments can partner with university-based Cooperative Extension programs, school agricultural education departments, and workforce agencies to support interventions with proven effectiveness and evaluate promising programs. Concerned individuals can educate their legislators regarding the hazards of agriculture and the lack of worker protection and advocate for repeal of the agricultural exemptions in federal OSHA regulations. Policy makers can enact meaningful workplace safety guidelines and mandate funds to assist farmers in improving occupational safety for individuals who work or live in agricultural settings. Agriculture is hazardous business, but together we can make it a less dangerous profession.