Adapted by:
William
J. Becker and Heather
Pirozzoli
University of Florida IFAS Extension
Agriculture
is one of the most hazardous occupations in the United States.
The only industries which compete for this not so prestigious
title are mining and construction. For this reason, many agencies
and laws have been enacted to combat this problem and save
lives.
One
such agency, the Division of Safety, compiles data relating
to on-the-job injuries and illnesses. This information is
important because it demonstrates the most dangerous aspects
of agriculture. Using this data, a farm owner, manager or
employee can identify hazards and eradicate or at least avoid
them.
The
information contained in this document was obtained by surveying
15,000 private sector employers in the state of Florida; therefore,
the information is specific to Florida and relevant to your
business. However, farms with fewer than 11 employees were
not polled, therefore illness and injury totals are not based
on all farms operating in Florida.
The
Division of Safety analyzes and classifies the information
garnered from the surveys according to Standard Industrial
Codes. The following groups will be discussed:
- private
sector (all industries)
- agriculture,
forestry and fishing,
- agricultural
production,
- agricultural
services,
- food
and kindred products,
- miscellaneous
food and kindred products,
- textile
mill products, and
- paper
and allied products.
These
classifications are obtained from the Standard Industrial
Classification Manual, 1987 ed.
Average
Lost Workdays per Lost Workday Case are the number of lost
workdays divided by the number of lost workday cases.
Incidence Rates are the number of injuries and/or illnesses,
or lost workdays experienced by 100 full time workers. The
rate is calculated in Equation 1, Where:
IR |
= |
incidence
rate |
N |
= |
number
of injuries and/or illnesses or lost workdays |
EH |
= |
total
hours worked by all employees during reference year |
200,000 |
= |
base
for the 100 full time equivalent workers (working 40 hours
per week, 50 weeks per year). |
Lost
Workdays are the number of days, consecutive or not, the
employee would have worked, but was absent from work or performed
restricted work activity because of an occupational injury
or illness. The number of days away from work does not include
the date of injury or onset of illness.
Lost
Workday Cases are cases which involve days away from work
or days of restricted activity, or both.
Non-Fatal
Case Without Lost Workday is any occupational injury or
illness which was not a fatality and did not involve lost
workdays but did result in a transfer to another job, termination
of employment, medical treatment other than first aid, diagnosis
of an occupational illness, loss of consciousness or restriction
or work or motion.
Occupational
Illness is any abnormal condition or disorder, other than
one resulting from and occupational injury, caused by exposure
to environmental factors associated with employment. It includes
acute and chronic illnesses or diseases which may be caused
by inhalation, absorption, ingestion or direct contact.
GENERAL FINDINGS
In 1991,
private sector workers in the State of Florida experienced
occupational injuries and illnesses at the rate of 7.8 cases
per 100 full-time employees, a decline of 5 percent from the
1990 rate of 8.2. See Table 1. Other key observations include:
- The
total number of occupational injury and illness cases reported
during 1991 in Florida's private sector was 288,600. Of
this total, 97.1 percent were injuries.
- One
in every 13 full-time workers experienced a work-related
injury or illness in 1991.
- The
incidence rate for lost workday cases fell 8.1 percent from
3.7 in 1990 to 3.4 in 1991.
- The
nonfatal cases without lost workdays incidence rate decreased
by 2.2 percent from 4.5 to 4.4 during the two year period.
- The
average number of lost workdays per lost workday case was
21 days, up from 18 days in 1990.
- The
total case rate for illnesses was .3 in 1991, up from .2
in 1990.
- Occupational
injuries were reported at a rate of 7.5, a decrease of 6.3
percent from 8.0 in 1990.
- Before
1986, Florida's occupational illness and injury rate mirrored
national trends. Since then, Florida's rates have consistently
fallen in the face of rising national rates.
Table
1. Incidence Rates of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses
by Industry, 1990-1991, Florida(1) |
Industry(2) |
1987
SIC Code(3) |
1991
Avg. Employment (000's)(4) |
Total
Cases(5) |
Lost
Workday Cases(6) |
Non-Fatal
Cases Without Lost Workdays |
Lost
Workdays(8) |
|
1990 |
1991
|
1990 |
1991 |
1990 |
1991 |
1990 |
1991 |
Private
Sector -- All Industries(7) |
--- |
4,468.9 |
8.2 |
7.8 |
3.7 |
3.4 |
4.5 |
4.4 |
66.7 |
69.6 |
Agriculture,
Forestry and Fishing |
--- |
148.8 |
13.5 |
10.8 |
7.0 |
5.4 |
6.5 |
5.4 |
118.0 |
103.0 |
Agricultural
Production(7) |
01-
02 |
71.7 |
16.7 |
11.3 |
9.2 |
6.0 |
7.5 |
5.3 |
131.3 |
106.1 |
Agricultural
Services |
07 |
75.4 |
10.5 |
10.5 |
5.0 |
4.9 |
5.5 |
5.6 |
103.4 |
102.1 |
Food
and Kindred Products
Meat Products |
20
201 |
45.7
6.3 |
16.9
24.0 |
16.0
27.0 |
7.2
10.2 |
7.5
11.8 |
9.7
13.8 |
8.5
15.2 |
127.9
191.9 |
141.4
220.6 |
Preserved
Fruits and Vegetables
Canned Fruits and Vegetables
Frozen Fruits and Vegetables |
203
2033
2037 |
12.0
N/A
N/A |
12.8
14.5
11.4 |
11.7
12.2
11.4 |
5.3
5.5
5.1 |
5.3
5.0
5.7 |
7.5
9.0
6.3 |
6.4
7.2
5.7 |
96.0
83.5
98.2 |
90.2
81.0
98.8 |
Misc.
Food and Kindred Products
Fresh or Frozen Prepared Fish |
209
2092 |
6.7
N/A |
15.7
18.4 |
13.7
15.0 |
7.6
9.1 |
6.6
6.5 |
8.1
9.3 |
7.1
8.5 |
110.8
140.1 |
126.9
56.7 |
Textile
Mill Products |
22 |
4.5 |
4.9 |
4.3 |
3.3 |
2.7 |
1.6 |
1.6 |
88.2 |
59.1 |
Paper
and Allied Products
Paperboard Containers and Boxes
Misc. Converted Paper Products |
26
265
267 |
13.6
4.1
4.1 |
9.1
10.9
10.4 |
9.3
12.1
7.1 |
3.9
4.4
5.0 |
4.1
4.9
4.7 |
5.2
6.5
5.4 |
5.2
7.2
2.4 |
102.4
99.3
96.6 |
127.9
149.2
128.1 |
(1)
The incidence rates represent the number of injuries and/or
illnesses or lost workdays per 100 full time workers.
(2) Totals for divisions and 2- and 3-digit SIC codes
include data for industries not shown separately.
(3) Standard Industrial Classification Manual,
1987 ed.
(4) Annual average employment is estimated from the Current
Employment Statistics Program. Annual average employment
for the Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing industry division
is a composite of employment data for Agricultural Production
(SIC's 01 and 02) from the Annual Survey of Occupational
Injuries and Illnesses and employment data for Agricultural
Services (SIC 07), Forestry (SIC 08), and Fishing, Hunting
and Trapping (SIC 009).
(5) Includes fatalities. Some numbers may not add up because
of rounding.
(6) Includes those cases which may have only involved
days of restricted work activity.
(7) Includes farms with fewer than 11 employees.
(8) Some numbers may not add up because of rounding. |
Farms
with fewer than 11 employees are exempt under OSHA regulations
from reporting injuries and illnesses occurring in their work
areas; therefore, estimates of incidents in Agriculture, Forestry
and Fishing are not based on all farms operating in Florida.
In 1991,
the Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing industry division accounted
for 3.3 percent of the private sector workforce. During the
two year period, employment grew 3.5 percent, while the total
case rate dropped 20 percent , the largest decrease of any
industry division, from 13.5 to 10.8 cases per 100 full time
employees. Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing had the largest
decrease in the incidence rate of total illness cases with
a 50 percent drop to .3 cases per 100 full time workers in
1991 from .06 in 1990. In 1991, 12,800 cases of injuries and
illnesses were reported; 50 percent of these cases resulted
in lost workdays, down from 52 percent in 1990. Significant
drops in incidence rates included:
- The
lost workday case rate, down 23 percent from 7.0 to 5.4.
- The
nonfatal cases without lost workdays, down 16.9 percent
from 6.5 to 5.4.
- The
lost workday rate, down 12.7 percent from 118 to 103 days
lost per 100 workers.
Agriculture
has the second highest occupational injury and illness incidence
rate (10.8), second only to construction. The occupational
injury and illness rate for the Private Sector as a whole
was 7.8.
Agriculture
also has the second highest amount lost workday cases (5.4),
again, second only to construction. The lost workday cases
for the Private Sector as a whole was 3.4.
Three
agricultural industry divisions rank in the "Top Ten Occupational
Injury and Illness Incidence Rates -- Major Groups". They
are Food and Kindred Products (ranked 2), Agricultural Production
of Livestock (ranked 5), and Lumber and Wood Products (ranked
6). Four agricultural industry divisions rank amongst the
"Top Ten Lost Workday Cases -- Major Groups". They are Food
and Kindred Products (ranked 3), Agricultural Production of
Livestock (ranked 4), Lumber and Wood Products (Ranked 8)
and Agricultural Production of Crops (ranked 10).
One
agricultural industry, Meat Products, ranks number 1 in the
"Top Ten Industries -- Occupational Illness and Injury Rates".
The Meat Products industry also ranks number one in the Top
Ten Industries -- Lost Workday Cases", closely followed by
Lumber and Building Materials (ranked 10).
Additionally,
an agricultural worker in Florida is just as likely to be
injured or become ill than in any other state (on the average).
Florida agriculture's injury and illness rates are now the
same as the United States as a whole (incidence rate = 10.8.
Florida should strive to be the safest place to work (and
play).
The
statistic that sums up agriculture's need to strengthen its
safety programs is that though agriculture employs only 3.3
percent of the work force in Florida, it has 4.4 percent of
the injuries and illnesses. See Table 2.
Table
2. Percent distribution of employment vs. injuries
and illnesses by major industry division |
Industry
Division |
Employment |
Injuries
and Illnesses |
Mining |
0.2 |
0.1 |
Agriculture |
3.3 |
4.4 |
Transportation |
6.0 |
7.8 |
Construction |
6.2 |
9.7 |
Wholesale
Trade |
6.4 |
6.6 |
Finance |
8.0 |
3.1 |
Manufacturing |
11.0 |
16.1 |
Retail
Trade |
25.0 |
23.9 |
Services |
33.7 |
28.2 |
|
Table
3. Percent distribution by nature of injury
(Florida 1991). |
Nature
of Injury |
Percent
of Cases |
Agriculture(1) |
Total(2) |
Strains
& Sprains |
64.7 |
70.9 |
Cuts
& Lacerations |
13.8 |
8.3 |
Fractures |
7.8 |
7.5 |
Bruises
& Contusions |
6.0 |
6.5 |
Occupational
Diseases |
1.1 |
1.7 |
(1)
Includes agriculture, forestry and fishing.
(2) Total for all industries in the private sector. |
|
Nature
of injury refers to the identification of an injury in terms
of its principal physical characteristics (i.e., fracture,
laceration, strain, bruise, etc.). The reported data provide
compelling evidence that Strains and Sprains overwhelmingly
dominate the nature of frequent injuries. See Table 3.
As can
be seen, the nature of injuries occurring in agriculture mirror
those of Florida as a whole. It is interesting to note that
agricultural workers suffer almost twice as many cuts and
lacerations as the rest of the State's employees.
Table
4 summarizes the number of compensable cases by body location.
The extremities (upper and lower combined) is the body part
most frequently injured (1584 compensable cases or 40 percent
of the total number of compensable cases when combined) followed
by the Trunk, Back and Spine with 878 compensable cases (28
percent of the total). The data for agriculture closely mirror
the data for all private industry in the State.
Table
4. Compensable cases by body location (Florida 1991). |
Body
Location |
Total(1) |
Agriculture(2) |
Number |
Percent
of Total |
Number |
Percent
of Total |
Eyes |
711 |
1 |
72 |
2 |
Head,
Face, Neck |
2,699 |
3 |
115 |
4 |
Trunk,
Back, Spine |
25,691 |
32 |
878 |
28 |
Upper
Extremities |
17,578 |
22 |
751 |
24 |
Lower
Extremities |
19,305 |
24 |
833 |
26 |
Body
(not elsewhere classified) |
13,904 |
17 |
493 |
16 |
Not
Reported |
633 |
1 |
30 |
1 |
Total |
80,521 |
100 |
3,172 |
100 |
(1)
Includes agriculture, forestry and fishing.
(2) Total for all industries in the private sector. |
CONCLUSIONS
It is
abundantly clear that if Florida Agriculture is to make any
significant improvement in its safety record, it must tackle
"head-on" the problem of strains and sprains to the upper
extremities (wrist, elbow, shoulder), the lower extremities
(ankle, knee and hip) and particularly to the back. Teaching
workers how to lift and requiring them to wear quality safety
shoes with slip resistant soles and heels is only part of
the answer. We must tackle the problem of heavy lifts and
carries, awkward or high lifts and repetitive lifting, pushing
and pulling. We need to find better means of using mechanical
lifts and conveyors, use lighter containers and in general,
reduce the strain we place on employees backs, legs and arms.
Try loading boxes of fruit on a pallet or use a full sized
citrus bag all day. Only then can you understand the problems
we have with strains and sprains in Florida agriculture.
Disclaimer
and Reproduction Information: Information in NASD does not
represent NIOSH policy. Information included in NASD appears
by permission of the author and/or copyright holder. More
NASD Review: 04/2002
1.
This document is Fact Sheet
AE-240
, a series of the Agricultural Engineering, Florida Cooperative
Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences,
University of Florida. Publication date: November 1993.
2.
William J. Becker, professor, Agricultural Engineering, and
extension safety specialist; Heather Pirozzoli, graduate assistant
and technical writer, FAIRS, Cooperative Extension Service,
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of
Florida, Gainesville FL 32611.
|