Safety Features on Agricultural Machines and Farm Structures in Saskatchewan

ABSTRACT

Major injury is an important occupational health problem for farming populations in North America. There are several well-established risk factors for injury in this setting, including lack of safety features on farm vehicles and machinery, and a lack of passive safety devices that offer protection from falls and drowning events. Through the examination of common risk factors, the authors demonstrate that substantial proportions of farms in Saskatchewan, Canada, are exposed to occupational hazards that leave workers and others vulnerable to major injury.

Keywords:

• Agriculture
• farming
• injury
• occupational health
• trauma

Notes

The Saskatchewan Farm Injury Cohort Study Team consists of William Pickett, PhD, and James Dosman, MD (co-principal investigators); Louise Hagel, MSc; Robert Brison, MD; Barbara Marlenga, PhD; Lesley Day, PhD; Punam Pahwa, PhD; Andrew G Day, MSc; Xiaoqun Sun, MSc; Niels Koehncke, MD; Trever Crowe, PhD; and Donald C Voaklander, PhD.