Slip, trip and fall injuries in potato, sugar beet and open field vegetable production in Finland

Abstract

STF injuries are common in agriculture. The purposes of this study were to assess the magnitude of STF injuries, to identify contributing factors and to propose preventive actions to reduce injuries in potato, sugar beet and open field vegetable production in Finland. The material consisted of 1648 injury claim records and 22 interviews. The analysis showed 45% (n = 740) of the non-fatal injuries were STFs or jumps. Phrase analysis of injury descriptions provided further insight into the characteristics of STF injuries. The current findings suggest interventions should focus on making access paths (e.g. stairs, ladders, platforms) safer, minimising the need for mounting and dismounting equipment, decreasing manual material handling, improving contamination control and housekeeping in working areas and improving the safety of traffic areas and farmyards.

Keywords:

• slip, trip and fall injuries
• agriculture
• horticulture
• phrase analysis

Acknowledgements

This study was funded by Finnish Farmers Social Insurance Institution (Mela), Agrifood Research Finland and Research Foundation of Agricultural Machinery. The University of Iowa, Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health (funded by NIOSH, awards #5U50/OH07548 and K01 #OH008300) provided in-kind staff support for Dr Rautiainen.