VANCOUVER – Longer hours at work on the farm result in a higher rate of injury, a two-year study of Saskatchewan farms found.
Researcher William Pickett, a health sciences professor at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont., said the farm and its inherent hazards also account for accidents.
“If things are dangerous and people are working long work hours, they have higher rates of injury,” said Pickett, who presented the Saskatchewan Farm Injury Project study to the Canadian Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion conference in Vancouver Nov. 17.
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“Farming is among the most dangerous occupations in Canada, which is why we’re studying it,” he said in an interview.
He suggested solutions lie in sound occupational health and safety practices related to long work hours, focusing on the physical hazards common on most farms and behavioural changes to reduce risks.
The study surveyed 5,502 rural Saskatchewan residents from 2,422 farms. It reported 450 farm injuries requiring medical treatment ranging from minor injuries to trauma for 370 individuals on 338 farms from 2007-09.
It has spawned other research on the amount of work done by older farmers and how their work changes with age, the large proportion of undiagnosed sleep disorders in farmers and the effect of long work hours on farm families, children and injury rates.
In a recent Wisconsin study, recreational activities accounted for hearing loss in youth on farms, particularly repetitive gun sightings.
Pickett next plans to assess the health and injury incidence of rural and farm children in Saskatchewan. A 2005 study showed that fatalities in children rank second behind farmer-operators. More than half of the child fatalities were toddlers, most often the result of being run over, falling from equipment or drowning.
“The hidden epidemic on farms is the little guys,” said Pickett.
Saskatchewan farm injury project findings:
•Males aged 40 to 69 were most frequently injured.
•More than 91 percent of injuries occurred during farm work.
•Treatment by medical practitioners was required for 64 percent of injuries and hospitalization was required for six percent.
•Machines were involved in 44 percent of injuries, animals in 28 percent and falls accounted for 24 percent.
