Agriculture Injuries and Fatalities

When it comes to on the job injuries, most people think of factory workers as the population most at risk. But, surprisingly, most factories have less injuries and fatalities than other industries. Factories are very closely monitored and very strict rules are put into place in order to protect employees from any type of injury. All the employees must go through a number of stringent safety courses as well.

The more industrialized the industry, in general, the more safety standards are put into place. There are a number of reasons for this. For one thing, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration or OSHA keeps an extremely watchful eye on factories. They are also tightly unionized and have dozens of unions representing their employees at all times. Unions can help guarantee reasonable work hours, safe working conditions and very competitive wages.

The industries that actually experience the most injuries and fatalities of employees are the ones less closely regulated. One of these industries is agriculture. In fact, agriculture is one of the two most dangerous industries in the United States.

The Numbers

Every year in the United States, an estimated 710 agriculture employees dies while on the job. Other serious issues facing agriculture employees are the high number of permanent, non-fatal injuries. There are around three of these permanent injuries for every fatality.

These permanent injuries and fatalities are most common in the harvest months. The second most risky time is during the planting months.

Agriculture Machinery and Farm Structures

There are a number of reasons why the agriculture industry has such a high number of fatalities and injuries. But by far the most common cause of deaths are accidents caused by farm machinery. Tractor overturn is the single most common fatal agriculture accident. In addition to tractors, the dozens of large machines used for planting and harvesting are extremely dangerous.

These machines contain huge, sharp blades which can cause accidental amputation in less than a second. The safety features on these machines are often inferior in relation to their danger level. Many employees are also not properly schooled in the safety measures that must be taken in order to avoid injury.

In addition to farm machinery, farm structures can be quite dangerous. Indoor farm activities are typically done in confined spaces such as silos. Many agriculture products such as manure also produce toxic gases which can be fatal in small spaces