Agricultural work injury data are less available than data for other industries, so an overview of existing data is provided. Agriculture has the highest annual work death rate of all industries, 52 per 100,000 workers, which is five times the combined rate for all industries. Tractor-related injuries are the leading types of fatal injuries; injuries involving agricultural machinery, animals, and trucks are the leading types of non-fatal injuries. Victims of fatal accidents range in age from less than 1 year to over 90. Research needs are discussed, including the need for comprehensive surveillance.

Data were compiled and analyzed on the estimated frequency and characteristics of deaths related to on-farm manure storage and handling facilities for the period of 1975 through 2004. Sources included published government reports, national and local media, on-line searches, published farm fatality reports, and prior litigation. No prior research was identified that addressed the magnitude of the problem, nor documented evidence-based intervention strategies. Data from 77 fatalities along with 21 severe injuries and 14 international fatality cases were identified, documented and coded for analysis. Analysis of the 77 fatalities showed that victim characteristics and causative factors did not reflect previously reported patterns; i.e., over half of the fatalities involved dairy operations and 21% involved persons under the age of 16. The largest percentage (34%) of deaths occurred to persons conducting repair or maintenance activities on manure handling equipment, while the second largest group (22%) were attempting to perform a rescue of another person. The most frequently identified cause of death was asphyxiation with elevated levels of sulfide levels in the blood noted in some cases. The peak period of incidents were during the hottest part of the summer and often associated with transferring of manure for application to crop ground. Recommendations included the need to revise ASABE EP470 Manure Storage Safety Practice to include engineering controls that would reduce the need for farmers and farm workers to enter spaces containing toxic manure-related gases. In addition, the need to educate owner/operators and employees concerning the hazards associated with agricultural manure storage structures and equipment, especially those classified as permit-required confined spaces, should be considered, including the need for appropriate warnings and entry procedures. Incorporation of current OSHA confined space entry procedures into these facilities is also recommended.

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Unguarded agricultural power take-off (PTO) drivelines and related components, including secondary drivelines powered by the PTO, have been historically recognized as serious farm-related hazards that can cause severe, permanently disabling injuries and death when entanglement occurs. The lack of longitudinal and causative data on these incidents has been a barrier for developing relevant and effective intervention strategies. A study was conducted at Purdue University to design, develop, and test a system to document, code, store, and analyze a large amount of agriculture driveline-related injury and fatality data to allow for identification of causative factors and trends that could be used in developing engineering, educational, and regulatory solutions. This was accomplished by first developing a standardized injury reporting form and coding system and then developing an electronic database, using Microsoft(R) Access 2002,(R) which could be used to document, store, query, and analyze agricultural driveline-related incident data. Incidents resulting in injury or fatality identified between 1970 and 2003 were documented and the available data coded and entered into the database using a systematic approach. A pilot-test of the usability of the database was conducted on data collected from 92 incidents involving children and adolescents. Using the validated data management system, an analysis was conducted on data collected from 674 cases entered into the database. Findings from the analysis of the data included the following: the frequency of documented agricultural driveline-related incidents increased from the 1970s to the 1980s, but then decreased through the 1990s and into the 2000s; the 11 to 15-year-old age group had the highest frequency of cases; incidents occurred more often in the fall season; and augers, elevators, or conveyors were the type of implements most frequently involved. Recommendations were made to reduce the risk of agriculture driveline injuries and for future research.

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The hazards associated with breeding livestock were well documented in some of the earliest annals of literature. With the exception of horses, bulls have probably caused more livestock- related deaths and injuries to human beings throughout recorded history than any other domesticated animal. A review of the literature might suggest that attacks by bulls were more of a problem in the past than today. However, a bull-related injury surveillance project conducted by the authors documented that bulls continue to contribute to an unacceptable number of serious injuries and deaths. In 2006, following an increase in the number of bull-attack cases identified during ongoing surveillance of agricultural work-related injuries, a search of agricultural injury data was initiated to gain a better perspective of the bull-incidence problem. Approximately 3 years of data, gathered from daily reviews of online sources plus a review of more than 12,000 prior injury reports, were combined, coded, and summarized. A total of 287 cases primarily from the United States were documented and analyzed. Where reported, contributing factors were identified, including age of victim, type of bull, type and condition of handling facility, experience of handler, and time of year. Analysis of the literature and data indicates that (1) the risk of injury associated with hours of exposure to bulls is higher than that of working around cows; (2) the risk of a bull-related fatality, based upon the hours of exposure, appears to be higher than other known hazards, such as tractor operation; (3) victims generally appeared to have had considerable experience with handling bulls; (4) bulls raised from calves on-site appeared more aggressive; and (5) most of the incidents involved the victim being inside the bull holding area. Recommendations are presented for reducing the potential of bull attacks on humans.

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