You might think of farms as peaceful settings. Actually, farming is one of the most dangerous jobs in the United States. Farms have many health and safety hazards, including
- Chemicals and pesticides
- Machinery, tools and equipment that can be dangerous
- Hazardous areas, such as grain bins, silos and wells
- Livestock that can spread diseases or cause injuries
Farming injuries are very common. Physical labor and accidents can cause injuries.
Most farm accidents involve machinery. Proper machine inspection and maintenance can help prevent accidents. Using safety gloves, goggles and other protective equipment can also reduce accidents.
- Farm Safety(Occupational Safety and Health Administration) - http://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/data_General_Facts/farm-facts-factsheet.html
-
Tox Town Farm
(National Library of Medicine) - Requires Flash Player - http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/flash/farm/flash.php
- Youth in Agriculture(Occupational Safety and Health Administration) - http://www.osha.gov./SLTC/youth/agriculture/index.html
- Agricultural Health and Safety Frequently Asked Questions(Rural Assistance Center) - http://www.raconline.org/info_guides/agri_health/faq.php
- Plain Facts...about Farmer Health(National Safety Council) - http://www.nsc.org/resources/issues/articles/farmerhealth.aspx
- Plain Facts...about the Agricultural Industry(National Safety Council) - http://www.nsc.org/resources/issues/articles/agriindustry.aspx
- Adaptive Controls for Tractors and Machinery(Dept. of Agriculture) - http://www.agrabilityproject.org/assistivetech/tips/adaptivecontrols.cfm
- Farming with an Arm Amputation(Dept. of Agriculture) - http://www.agrabilityproject.org/assistivetech/tips/2_arm_amputation.cfm
- Back Pain(National Farm Medicine Center) - Links to PDF - http://www.marshfieldclinic.org/proxy/MCRF-Centers-NFMC-Resources-HH-BackPain.1.pdf
- Crop Protection Chemical Safety(National Safety Council) - http://www.nsc.org/resources/Factsheets/ag/chem.aspx
- Diseases from Farm Animals(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/animals/farm_animals.htm
- Dusts and Molds(National Farm Medicine Center) - Links to PDF - http://www.marshfieldclinic.org/proxy/MCRF-Centers-NFMC-resources-HH-DustandMolds.1.pdf
- Electrocution Hazards on the Farm(Iowa State University, University Extension) - Links to PDF - http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/PM1265K.pdf
- Fact Sheets about Farmworkers(National Center for Farmworker Health) - Links to PDF - http://www.ncfh.org/factsheets.php
- Falls from Tractors and Trailing Equipment(National Safety Council) - http://www.nsc.org/resources/Factsheets/ag/falls.aspx
- Falls on the Farmstead(National Safety Council) - http://www.nsc.org/resources/Factsheets/ag/fallsfarm.aspx
- Farm Shop Safety(National Safety Council) - http://www.nsc.org/resources/factsheets/ag/shop.aspx
- Grain Storage Structures and Handling Equipment(National Safety Council) - http://www.nsc.org/resources/factsheets/ag/storage.aspx
-
Hazards Associated with Using Farm Tractors to Move Large Bales(National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) - http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hid13.html
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/spanish/niosh/docs/2001-146sp.html
- Hearing Loss in Agricultural Workers(National Safety Council) - http://www.nsc.org/resources/issues/articles/hearingloss.aspx
- Livestock Handling(National Safety Council) - http://www.nsc.org/resources/factsheets/ag/livestock.aspx
- Manure Gases(National Farm Medicine Center) - Links to PDF - http://www.marshfieldclinic.org/proxy/MCRF-Centers-NFMC-Resources-HH-ManureGases.1.pdf
- PTO (Power-Take-Off) Safety(National Safety Council) - http://www.nsc.org/resources/Factsheets/ag/pto.aspx
- Remember Sun Safety in the Field(Iowa State University, University Extension) - Links to PDF - http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/PM1518H.pdf
- Safe Use of Harvesting Equipment(National Safety Council) - http://www.nsc.org/resources/factsheets/ag/hrvsteqp.aspx
- Silo Gas(National Farm Medicine Center) - Links to PDF - http://www.marshfieldclinic.org/proxy/MCRF-Centers-NFMC-Resources-HH-SiloGas.1.pdf
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)(National Safety Council) - http://www.nsc.org/resources/factsheets/ag/ppe.aspx
- Call for Health(National Center for Farmworker Health) - http://www.ncfh.org/00_nde_cfh.php
-
Agricultural Health Study(National Cancer Institute) - http://aghealth.nci.nih.gov/
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Net monetary benefit of cost-effective rollover protective structures (CROPS): an... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18788335&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: National Safe Tractor and Machinery Operation Program: development and content... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18788334&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Farm safety through the camera's eye. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18788333&tool=MedlinePlus
- Farm Health and Safety -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=agriculture[mh]+AND+(safety[mh]+OR+equipment+safety[mh]+OR+wounds+and+injuries/pc[mh]+OR+accident+prevention[mh]+OR+occupational+health[mh]+OR+occupational+health+services[mh]+OR+agricultural+workers+diseases/pc[mh])+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])+&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- AgrAbility Assistive Technologies Database(Dept. of Agriculture) - http://www.agrabilityproject.org/search/index.cfm
- Bureau of Primary Health Care Service Delivery Sites(Bureau of Primary Health Care) - http://findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov/
- National and State AgrAbility Projects(Dept. of Agriculture) - http://www.agrabilityproject.org/stateprojects.cfm
-
Dept. of Agriculture - http://www.usda.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://www.usda.gov/EnEspanol/
- National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety - http://www.marshfieldclinic.org/NCCRAHS/
-
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health - http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/spanish/niosh/
- Farmworker News(National Center for Farmworker Health) - Links to PDF - http://www.ncfh.org/00_ns_fn.php
- Childhood Agricultural Injuries(National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety) - Links to PDF - http://www.marshfieldclinic.org/proxy/MCRF-Centers-NFMC-NCCRAHS-Resources-factsheets-childagsafety-05-08.1.pdf
-
Asthma among Household Youth on Hispanic Farm Operations(National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) - http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2004-158/
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/spanish/niosh/docs/2004-158sp.html
- Children & Dairy Chemicals(National Farm Medicine Center) - Links to PDF - http://www.marshfieldclinic.org/proxy/MCRF-Centers-NFMC-resources-ChildrenDairyChem.1.pdf
- Farm Safety (For Children)(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/watch/out/farm_safety.html
- Farm Safety (For Parents)(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/home/farm_safety.html
- Farm Safety Guidelines [for Children](National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety) - http://www.nagcat.org/nagcat/pages/default.aspx?page=nagcat_guidelines_posters
- Helping Kids Do the Job Safely: Top Ten Guidelines(National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety) - Links to PDF - http://www.nagcat.org/nagcat/pages/default.aspx?page=nagcat_guidelines_topten
-
Injuries to Youth on Hispanic Farm Operations(National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) - http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2004-157/
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/spanish/niosh/docs/2004-157sp.html
- Keys to Creating Safe Play Areas on Farms(National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety) - http://www.marshfieldclinic.org/nccrahs/default.aspx?page=nccrahs_keyprojects_safeplay_keys
- Farm Safety (For Teens)(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/teen/safety/safebasics/farm_safety.html
- Youth in Agriculture(Occupational Safety and Health Administration) - http://www.osha.gov./SLTC/youth/agriculture/index.html
- Occupational Health - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/occupationalhealth.html
- Pesticides - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/pesticides.html
- Safety - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/safety.html
- Safety Issues - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/safetyissues.html