![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090122124955im_/http://www.cdc.gov/nasd/images/line.jpg)
Farm Safety Association
During the 15-year period from 1980 to 1994, the Ontario Farm Safety Association (FSA) documented 86 farm work-related fatalities to children under the age of 16 years in the Province. These fatalities involved children who were in the workplace while farm work was being performed. During 1984 to 1992, a Queen's University research group identified 24 additional farm fatalities to Ontario children of the same ages, the majority of which did not involve farm work. In addition, between 1985 and 1991, the Queen's group identified 262 hospitalized injuries to Ontario children that were caused by agricultural machinery. This report provides basic information about the nature of these deaths and injuries, which occurred both on family farms and on the operations of agricultural employers.
Several
sources of data were used to describe these deaths and injuries.
Fatal farm injuries were described using case reports documented
in a registry maintained by the Ontario Farm Safety Association
for the years 1980-1994. Some additional farm fatalities were
identified and described for the years 1984-1992 from records
described for the years 1984-1992 from records kept as the Registrar
General of Ontario and at the Office of the Chief Coroner of
Ontario. Hospitalized farm machinery injuries were identified
from records of patients discharged from Ontario hospitals between
1985 and 1991. Additional information was obtained directly
from the medical records departments of the 180 hospitals where
these injuries were treated. Only the data was accessed from
these sources and confidentiality of the injury victims was
maintained.
The number
of farm fatalities to Ontario children documented by the FSA
between 1980 and 1994 ranged from a low of 2 to a high of 9
per year. Fatals excluded by the FSA as being non-work related
from 1984-1992 totaled 24 deaths.
The strong
peak in these fatalities happened during the summer months of
July and August, when children are on summer holidays. This
also corresponds to the most active times of field work on many
Ontario farms.
The vast
majority of these deaths were to boys. There were approximately
four (4) deaths to boys for each death to a girl. Of importance
is the fact that over the age of six, there were almost no deaths
to girls.
The farm
tractor was the leading agent of injury leading to death, followed
by drownings and deaths caused by other vehicles and machinery
for all farm fatals. Among the twenty deaths caused by farm
tractors, ten were caused by runovers and seven involved rollovers.
Deaths to
children occurred in many different types of farm location,
including farm yards, fields, roads and driveways, and waterways.
These deaths occurred most frequently in the Western and Central
Counties of the Province.
The number
of hospitalized farm machinery injuries to Ontario children
aged 0-15 years ranged from a low of 29 in 1986 to a high of
48 in 1987. The number of injuries documented steadily declined
between 1987 and 1991.
Similar
to the fatalities, the summer months of July and August were
associated with the largest numbers of hospitalized farm machinery
injuries among Ontario children. This corresponds to the increased
activity involving machinery on most Ontario farms at this time.
Few injuries occurred during the cold weather months of November
through March.
Ninety injuries
were observed in the 0-5 age group, 60 injuries among 6-10 year-olds,
and 112 among 11-15 year-olds. Injuries to boys outnumbered
those to girls in all age groups. For every female injury involving
farm machinery there were three involving males.
Over 40
different types of machinery were involved in the injury events.
The most common are described in the accompanying figure. The
leading machine, accounting for just over one-third of the injuries,
was the farm tractor. The leading mechanism of injury was entanglement
in moving and often unguarded machinery. Run overs and being
struck by machinery were also important causes of injury.
Farm machinery
injuries to children occurred in many different farm locations.
The most common of these were farm fields, farm houses, and
barns.
These
analysis show that there are common patterns of accidental injury
and death among Ontario farm children. Three of these are:
- Children
who are unsupervised or inappropriately supervised during
the busy summer months
- Children
who are allowed to be in the proximity of unguarded or moving
farm machinery
- Children
who are performing work tasks which are inappropriate for
their age
Rural
organizations and farm families who are concerned about safety
of children on Ontario farms can do much to reduce their risk.
Some ideas for prevention are:
- Construct
barriers on farms to prevent young children from being exposed
to the farm hazards. A separate, supervised, fenced play
area has been built on many farms.
- Developing
a better and affordable rural child care, especially during
busy summer months
- Ensure
that all farm machinery is appropriately and safely guarded
- Educate
farm families with young children about the risks of letting
their children accompany them to the farm worksite
- Select
work tasks that are appropriate for the age of the child
The findings
in this report point to a number of patterns of injury and should
assist the farming community in developing educational and other
programs targeted at specific problems and age groups. When
we all work together for a common goal of accident reduction
and injury prevention, we all benefit in the end.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090122124955im_/http://www.cdc.gov/nasd/images/line.jpg)
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
The
information in this report was developed through the co-operation
of the following organizations:
Farm
Safety Association Inc.
22-340 Woodlawn Road West,
Guelph, Ontario N1H 7K6
Telephone: (519) 823-5600
Ontario
Ministry of Agriculture,
Food and Rural Affairs
Centre
for Injury Prevention and Research
Kingston, Frontenac, and Lennox and
Addington/Queen's University Teaching Health Unit,
221 Portsmouth Avenue,
Kingston, Ontario K7M 1V5
Farm
Safety Association Home Page
|