Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment for Improving Farm Safety on Canadian Farms

Abstract

Agriculture is one of the most hazardous industries worldwide. The number of serious accidents on farms, despite sophisticated technology, development of effective prevention methods, and high-quality training and improved skill levels of farmers, is still very high. The purpose of this study was to develop and apply a generic farm safety protocol to hazards that have been identified in previously published literature and demonstrate the potential benefits of such a protocol with a view to raising awareness of farm safety. Hazards in agriculture were categorized, and literature highlighting the risks associated with hazards was collated. A protocol was developed and applied to establish the likelihood of a hazard causing injury and the consequence of that injury should adverse effects of hazards be realized. The results indicated farm ownership, farm being used as a primary residence, and missing rollover protective structures as the greatest farm risks with expected likelihood and extreme consequence such as death or permanent disablement. Other hazards that require immediate attention while developing mitigation strategies include accident history and existing medical conditions of the farmer, working environment (i.e., alone and isolated), water bodies in the proximity of the farm, lack of periodic machine maintenance, uncovered power take-off and other rotating parts of the tractor, missing safety decals, auger entanglements, and unprotected use of pesticides. Intervention strategies may be guided by considering the results presented in this study. Moreover, farm safety specialists should increase their efforts to promote effective injury prevention methods and enforce safe work environments. The developed protocol addresses almost all common aspects of farming hazards and can be used to mitigate risks associated with hazards in any farm setting.

Occupational Health and Safety Standards of Foreign Seasonal Farm Workers: Evaluation of Personal Protection Measures, Policies and Practices

“…Agriculture related health issues has been categorized into eight categories; personal, psychosocial, farm, machinery, chemical, biological, and musculoskeletal [21]. In those categorizations, personal health issues are related to injuries from machinery and farm operations and the risk of those are associated with old age (fall and traumatic injuries), young age (machine operations) and chronic health conditions that impairs mobility.…”

“…Stress has been noted as a major psychological illness and long hours and working alone in an isolated environment with less access to healthcare facilities put this population at increased risk for stress. Farm machinery related injuries are noted as resulting from old equipment and defective protective gear use as well as lack of safety labelling and protective structures on the machines [21]. Chemical and biological exposure related illnesses are primarily due to pesticide exposures and biological exposures are noted as from micro-organisms, viruses, toxins (from biological sources), spores, fungi, and bio-active substances that are a threat to human health [21].…”

“…Farm machinery related injuries are noted as resulting from old equipment and defective protective gear use as well as lack of safety labelling and protective structures on the machines [21]. Chemical and biological exposure related illnesses are primarily due to pesticide exposures and biological exposures are noted as from micro-organisms, viruses, toxins (from biological sources), spores, fungi, and bio-active substances that are a threat to human health [21]. A complete list of health issues of migrant farm workers in North America has been published and includes; musculoskeletal, ocular, dermatologic, psychological and sexual and reproductive health [22].…”

“…No psychological issues were reported, but the discussion eluded of work related stress, loneliness and missing home. The occupational health issues noted by the study participants fall into the categories noted in the literature for all agricultural workers [21] as well as migrant farm workers in Canada and elsewhere [22].…”

Musculoskeletal Disorders in Agriculture: A Review from Web of Science Core Collection

“…Work accidents of various kinds occur throughout the agricultural sector and range from those occurring on family farms, where the habitual residence is at the farm site and where the infrastructure is deficient [30], to those associated with the handling of organic remains that can cause bone diseases as a result of inhaling organic dust with microbial components [31,32].…”