Hand injuries in Kenya: a chaff cutter menace

Abstract

Introduction Hand injuries are a recognized occupational hazard from the use of chaff cutters. With increasing mechanization of farming in our region, the burden of hand injuries is poised to increase. Methods We conducted a descriptive study of 47 patients presenting with chaff cutter hand injuries at our center in one year. Results They were predominantly male (98%) and the majority (70%) were aged between 21 and 40 years. The majority of patients who had not resumed work were those with severe injuries and those who had had an amputation. There was a positive correlation between age category and severity of injury. Discussion Chaff cutter injuries contribute considerably to hand amputations at our center. The majority of patients with severe injuries and those undergoing amputations do not return to gainful activities one year after sustaining the injury, suggesting increased dependency. Further research is paramount to identify safety features of chaff cutters in this region.

Insights into Agricultural Machine Injuries in Pakistan: An Orthopedic Surgeons Survey (2022–2023)

“…Of the 415 incidents where the age was known, 99 affected individuals were females, constituting about 24% of these cases. Female incident trends were similar to overall trends, with approximately 38% of females being under the age of 25 and 33% were young adults (aged [25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34]. Only 1% of female incidents were in those over the age of 55.…”

“…Figure 6 shows that a substantial number of injuries occurred in the youth, with approximately 40% of injuries occurring to those under the age of 25. In addition, young adults (age [25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34], represented about 35% of all injuries. Only 1.4% of all incidents occurred to farmers over the age of 55.…”

“…This study's finding supports that some emergency hospitals are reporting considerable numbers of fodder cutter injuries. Fodder cutter injuries also appear to be a concern among developing nations, with 47 injuries occurring in Kenya, 36 in India, and 55 in Nepal [32][33][34]. In a literature review conducted by Kumar et al [35] in 2000, fodder cutter injuries represented 6% and 11% of all machinery injuries in Pakistan and India, respectively, in the 1980s.…”