Trends in Work-Related Fatal Farm Injuries, Saskatchewan, Canada: 2005–2019

ABSTRACT

Objectives

This study was conducted to estimate farm fatality rates and to describe patterns of fatal agricultural injuries on Saskatchewan farms from 2005 to 2019.

Methods

Data on work-related farm fatalities was collected from January 2005 to December 2019 in the Province of Saskatchewan as a part of the injury and mortality surveillance for the Canadian Agricultural Injury Reporting (CAIR) program. Data were abstracted from records made available by the Provincial Coroner’s Office.

Results

There were 166 farm work-related fatalities recorded between 2005 and 2019 in Saskatchewan. The majority (93.4%) of work-related fatalities were in males. The overall work-related fatality rate was 10.5 (95% CI: 8.9–12.1) per 100,000 farm population. The overall age-adjusted work-related fatality rate was 18.1 (95% CI: 15.2–20.9) per 100,000 farm population among males and 1.4 (95% CI: 0.6–2.3) per 100,000 farm population among females. Age-adjusted rate decreased from 91.2 (95% CI: 69.4–117.66) per 100,000 farm population in 2005–2009 to 89.7 (95% CI: 64.9–120.2) per 100,000 farm population in 2015–2019 in males. Trend analysis of the work-related fatality rate in all cases showed a non-significant average annual decline of 2.6% (p = 0.156). Rollover injuries contributed to a high proportion of fatalities in children (30.0%) and the elderly population (14.9%). The most common causative agent was a tractor, and the most common location of injury was the farmyard or field.

Conclusion

The burden of mortality in this industry is still substantial. There was a non-significant decreasing trend in the injury rate over the 15-year period. Elderly farmers continue to be at high risk for fatality, while the rates for children have declined. Application of prevention approaches could reduce the risk of fatal injury, and in particular the high proportion of rollover injuries in children and the elderly population.

KEYWORDS:

• Agriculture
• farm fatality
• injuries
• surveillance
• work-related

Acknowledgments

We wish to recognize the late Mrs Louise Hagel who was instrumental in leading the Saskatchewan data collection in the past, and for her passion for this program and for agriculture health and safety in Saskatchewan and Canada. We also wish to acknowledge that this data is collected as part of a larger national surveillance program, Canadian Agricultural Injury Reporting (CAIR). CAIR is a program of the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) and managed by the Injury Prevention Centre at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The summary data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author [NK]. The data are not publicly available due to that containing information that could compromise the privacy of research participants.

Additional information

Funding

This project is supported by funding from the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association through the Canadian Agricultural Injury Reporting (CAIR) program. We acknowledge the Canadian Centre for Health and Safety in Agriculture (CCHSA), University of Saskatchewan for a supporting salary to conduct this research.