From the Horse Worker’s Mouth: A Detailed Account of Injuries Experienced by Latino Horse Workers

Abstract

Horse breeding farms are hazardous. Yet, little is known about the injuries of Latino horse workers. This study assesses Latino horse workers' injury prevalence, describes their injuries, and analyzes differences between injuries receiving medical versus those receiving first aid care. Data were gathered from 225 Latino thoroughbred workers via a community-based purposive sampling strategy. Questions included injury experiences in the past year and details about each person's two most severe injuries. Univariate and bivariate analyses were conducted. Nearly half of workers experienced an injury in the past year, often involving a horse. Bruises and sprains/strains were most common, as were injuries to upper/lower appendages. Head/face injuries more often resulted in medical care. The injury burden in this Latino worker population is high. Personal protective equipment (PPE) and training is advised due to the high prevalence of horse-related injuries. Future research should investigate aspects of the work environment that may influence injury risk.

Occupational risks of working with horses: A questionnaire survey of equine veterinary surgeons

“…) or more generally those working with (Swanberg et al . ) or coming into contact with horses (Griffen et al . ).…”

Missed Work Due to Occupational Illness among Hispanic Horse Workers

“…The literature notes that horses are a prevalent workplace hazard for horse workers, putting them at risk of injury (Swanberg et al, 2013(Swanberg et al, , 2016Iba et al, 2001). However, this study found that workers who worked with horses for more than 16 hours per week were less likely to miss work due to work-related illness compared to workers who worked with horses for 16 hours or less per week.…”

“…The Thoroughbred Worker Safety and Health Study, or Proyecto de Salud y Seguridad del Trabajador Equino, was designed to understand the occupational health and safety issues of Latino thoroughbred farmworkers in the southeastern U.S. (Swanberg et al, 2012). Detailed methods on sampling, survey development, data collection, and cultural relevancy can be found elsewhere (Swanberg et al, 2016).…”

“…This study also did not investigate disparities within the Latino/Hispanic ethnicity because the majority (84%) of the participants were Mexican-born. However, this study relied on collaborations among academia, industry, and the community to help reach a vulnerable and dispersed worker population (Swanberg et al, 2016). This study also employed trained community health workers (promotoras) to capture the occupational health experiences of a hard-to-reach Latino population.…”

Analysis of Thoroughbred horse farm workers’ compensation insurance claims in Kentucky: Injury frequency, cost, lost time, and associated occupational factors

“…Working with large livestock animals is hazardous, as animal production workers experience elevated nonfatal injury rates compared to other agriculture workers 1 . Horse operations are no exception; an analysis of Thoroughbred farms’ injury records found that horses accounted for the majority of injuries on farms (57%), 2 and an even higher percentage of injuries experienced by Latino Thoroughbred workers (87%) 3 . However, the specific nature of the risks encountered on horse farms may be unique compared to other animal‐handling facilities due the differing nature of the work.…”