The rate of occupational accidents in British agriculture is higher than in most other industries. The most common fatal accidents are those involving vehicles and machinery, falls from a height and electrocution. A substantial proportion of reported non-fatal injuries in agricultural employees is attributable to manual handling, but among self-employed farmers the contribution is much smaller. Few data are available on longer-term determinants of risk, but accidental deaths are most frequent in July, August and September. The main approaches to preventing agricultural accidents are through engineering improvements, and education and training of the workforce. The introduction of roll-over protection structures for tractors has been an important development in recent decades. Other engineering controls include guards for power take off shafts, guard rails to prevent falls, better handling facilities for animals and closed transfer systems for pesticides. Training on safety is available from several sources, but its effectiveness in reducing accidents is uncertain.
Objectives: To investigate the incidence, nature and determinants of non-fatal occupational injuries in British agriculture. Methods: As part of a postal survey, data on lifetime histories of work in agriculture and occupational accidents were obtained from men born between 1933 and 1977 and residing in three rural areas of England and Wales. Incidence rates for different categories of accident were compared with those derived from statutory reporting. Associations with risk factors were explored by Poisson regression, and summarised by incidence rate ratios (IRRs). Results: Of the 10 765 responders (response rate = 31%), 3238 (30%) reported at least one occupational accident at the ages of 14-64 years, leading to absence from work for >3 days, including 1492 accidents that could be linked to a specific job listed in the history of agricultural work. The reported incidence of injuries in agriculture was markedly higher than that derived from statutory reporting, particularly for self-employed farmers. During 1996-2003, the highest rates of agricultural accidents were from handling, lifting or carrying (4.9/1000 person-years), falls from a height (4.6/1000 person-years) and injury by animals (3.4/ 1000 person-years). After adjustment for calendar period and age, the risk of accidents was elevated in men who had only recently entered agricultural work (IRR 3.7, 95% CI 2.7 to 5.1 for men who had worked in agriculture for up to 1 year relative to those who had entered the industry .25 years earlier), and in those who carried out forestry (IRR 1.7, 95% CI 1.5 to 1.9). Conclusion: Our findings confirm the substantial underascertainment of serious accidental injuries in agriculture through statutory reporting, particularly for the self-employed. The risk of accidents is highest in new recruits to the industry and in those undertaking forestry, and these groups should be a target for further preventive action.
Acute symptoms are common following work with pesticides, but in many cases the illness may arise through psychological rather than toxic mechanisms.
Objectives: To explore the prevalence and pattern of neuropsychiatric symptoms in past users of sheep dip and other pesticides. Methods: From a postal survey of men born between 1933 and 1977 and resident in three rural areas of England and Wales (response rate 31%), data were obtained on lifetime history of work with pesticides, neurological symptoms in the past month, current mental health and tendency to be troubled by nonneurological somatic symptoms (summarised as a somatising tendency score). Risk factors for current neuropsychiatric symptoms were assessed by modified Cox regression. Results: Data were available for 9844 men, including 1913 who had worked with sheep dip, 832 with other insecticides but not sheep dip and 990 with other pesticides but never with sheep dip or insecticides. Neurological symptoms were consistently 20-60% more common in past users of sheep dip than in men who had never worked with pesticides, but their prevalence was also higher in men who had worked only with pesticides other than sheep dip or insecticides. They clustered strongly within individuals, but this clustering was not specific to men who had worked with sheep dip. Reporting of three or more neurological symptoms was associated with somatising tendency (prevalence ratio (PR) 15.0, 95% CI 11.4 to 19.5, for the highest vs the lowest category of somatisation) and was more common in users of sheep dip (PR 1.3, 95% CI 1.0 to 1.6), other insecticides (PR 1.4, 95% CI 1.0 to 1.8) and other pesticides (PR 1.3, 95% CI 1.0 to 1.7) than in nonusers. Among users of sheep dip, prevalence was higher in men who had dipped most often, but not in those who had worked with sheep dip concentrate. Past use of pesticides was not associated with current anxiety or depression. Conclusion: Neurological symptoms are more common in men who have worked with sheep dip, but the association is not specific to sheep dip or insecticides. A toxic cause for the excess cannot be ruled out, but several features of our observations suggest that psychological mechanisms have a role.
Aims: To explore the frequency, nature, determinants and outcome of health-related job loss (HRJL) in men sampled from the general population of three rural areas. Methods: Data on lifetime occupational history, including any HRJL, were obtained as part of a postal survey of men aged 24-70 years in three rural areas of England and Wales. Incidence rates were calculated for first health-related loss of a job that had been held for >1 year. Associations with risk factors were examined by Poisson regression, and by application of conditional logistic regression in a nested case-control study. Results: HRJL was reported by 1408 (13%) of the 10 559 men who had held long-term jobs. The incidence rose steeply with age for cardiorespiratory and neurological disorders, but for accidents and poisoning the trend was, if anything, in the reverse direction. An increase in incidence over time was most marked for musculoskeletal disorders and mental illness, and much less prominent for cardiorespiratory and neurological disease. In comparison with other occupations, the risk was lower in agricultural workers (odds ratio (OR) 0.6, 95% CI 0.5 to 0.8), and higher in policemen (OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.6 to 3.7) and teachers (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.5 to 2.7), this differential being even greater for HRJL caused by mental illness. Risk was also increased in employees relative to the self-employed (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.7 to 2.3). Shift work was associated with a higher incidence of job loss caused by mental illness (OR 1.5, 95%CI 1.1-2.2), and heavy lifting with HRJL caused by musculoskeletal disorders (OR 2.6, 95% CI 2.0 to 3.5). After HRJL, 61% of subjects had subsequently obtained further long-term employment, usually within 1 year. Conclusions: In the population studied, HRJL has become increasingly common, especially in relation to musculoskeletal disorders and mental illness. In addition to being associated with ergonomic stresses in the workplace, it may be importantly influenced by cultural and economic factors. Future research should focus on the minority of workers who leave a job for health reasons and do not rapidly return to further work. L ike many other European countries, the UK currently faces an economic challenge in providing for a growing elderly population at a time when young people are entering the workforce later and many older workers are leaving employment before the normal retirement age.1 Thus, in its recently launched 5-year strategy for social security, the British government identified a national employment rate of 80% as its aspiration.2 Achieving this goal will require the minimisation of unemployment not only among those traditionally deemed eligible to work but also among people with disabilities who previously have been regarded as outside the labour market. To avoid wasting valuable skills and experience, there will be an imperative to reduce unnecessary health-related job loss (HRJL) and to promote the redeployment of people who have left jobs for reasons of ill-health.One particular concern has been the high rat...
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.