Neck injury patterns resulting from the use of petrol and electric chainsaws in suicides. Report on two cases

Definition of a Methodology for Gradual and Sustainable Safety Improvements on Farms and Its Preliminary Applications

“…The analytical tools developed by the Demetra project for small and micro farms demonstrated that it is possible, with the correct analysis of accident risk levels, to ensure safety in agricultural contexts and confirmed that safety targets should be regarded not only as a cost but also as an investment which improves productivity, through the reduction/elimination of work-related injuries or deaths [2,6,9,10,12]. The project succeeded in raising the awareness and increasing the understanding of the farmers involved in this experiment, especially in cases of family-run farms whose owners decided to raise safety levels above the minimum required by Italian law.…”

“…The Demetra project demonstrated, by means of a new analytical methodology, how a process of gradual and continuous improvement can increase the level of organizational and operational safety [9][10][11][12][13]. The analytical tools developed by the Demetra project for small and micro farms demonstrated that it is possible, with the correct analysis of accident risk levels, to ensure safety in agricultural contexts and confirmed that safety targets should be regarded not only as a cost but also as an investment which improves productivity, through the reduction/elimination of work-related injuries or deaths [2,6,9,10,12].…”

Risk analysis of agricultural, forestry and green maintenance working sites

“…The operations on working sites in forestry or agriculture represent an activity with high risk of accidents [1]. Two major causes of serious injury or death are mainly tree falling or improper use of the chainsaw [2].…”

Risk management in solitary agricultural work: new technologies for handling emergency and falls from great heights (SHADE)

“…The activities involved in agricultural work in non anthropized areas can be classified according to Injuries caused by falls from height depend on two main causes: the impact between the human body and the stopping surface, and the sudden deceleration to which the body is exposed; both are related to the stiffness of the impact surface and to the amount of kinetic energy collected by the body during the fall. According to the available literature related to forensic pathology and to the analysis of accidents, deaths caused by fall from height are either voluntary, as in case of suicide [5] or accidental. Both are characterized by the following injuries: 1) External lesions are frequently of lesser magnitude if compared to internal ones, and they are mostly lacerated and bruised wounds caused by direct impact or by the exposure of bones or abrasions caused by the friction with walls during the fall [6] 2) The most frequent bone lesions are comminuted fractures of the skull, ring fractures of cranial basis, bilateral fractures of the heels, fractures of the femoral neck, and of the pelvis.…”