OTTAWA — Increased levels of sleep deprivation and obesity in farmers are emerging concerns for safety advocates.
Will Pickett of Queen’s University’s department of public health sciences shared the latest results of the ongoing Saskatchewan Farm Injury Project at the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association conference this month.
The study found farmers often work 80 to 100 hours a week, especially in busy seasons.
“If they’re sleep deprived, they have more injuries,” said Pickett, who recommended fatigue management strategies and clinical care for those affected.
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Seven percent had sleep disorders such as loud snoring, and half of them were untreated. The undiagnosed ones were at greater risk of daytime “sleepiness” such as nodding off.
The study also revealed how increased mechanization on farms has led to sedentary lifestyles in a population with an already high rate of obesity.
“It’s great for farming, but mechanization has a cost,” he said, noting how highly mechanized farms experienced a higher rate of injury than traditional ones.
The study followed 2,043 farms for two years, during which 467 injuries were reported. Six percent of the injuries required hospitalization, with the majority involving machinery.
The study also found that musculoskeletal pain, especially in the lower back, shoulders and neck, was a distraction for farmers.
“Uncontrolled pain is a risk factor,” he said.
Shortfalls were seen in safety prevention devices: 30 percent of tractors didn’t have rollover protection, 40 percent of shields were missing on augers and 70 percent of corrals didn’t have escape gates for handlers.
Hearing loss and asthma were notable for farmers older than 75, who often work 30 or more hours a week and are at high risk of injury.
Pickett said children continue to be among the most vulnerable.
“(Parents) keep kids close and they are brought to the workplace to protect them, but supervision breaks down and kids die,” he said.
“Their exposure to risks are unlike any other setting.”
According to Canadian Agricultural Injury Reporting, an average of 13 children die every year as a result of agricultural accidents in Canada.
More than 70 percent of the child agricultural fatalities were work-related. In almost eight out of 10 cases, the victim was not performing farm tasks but was killed by someone else engaged in agricultural work.
