Farming can be dangerous, not only for adults who work the farm, but also for children growing up on the farm. Equipment is bigger, faster, and more powerful than it was when today’s adults were growing up. Charles Jennissen,MD, director of pediatric emergency medicine at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, talks about farm safety:
What makes today’s farm machinery so dangerous?
Well, actually, in many ways farm machinery is safer than ever. Tractors manufactured today have built in roll-over protective structures and new machinery has much better shielding of all moving parts. But the machinery is becoming bigger and bigger, and many tasks that used to be done by hand have become mechanized. Although this can decrease the work of some agricultural tasks, it can also increase, in some cases, the injury and health risks. For example, manure gas exposure from a manure pit.
And some parents may fail to fully realize how farm tasks have become so much more mechanized and complicated then when they were kids. This may lead them to encourage their children to do tasks that are not developmentally appropriate for them and increase the child’s risk for an injury.
Who is most likely to be involved in a farming accident?
Individuals on both ends of the age spectrum are more likely to suffer a farm injury. Young children living on or visiting farms, especially toddlers, are at great risk as they are active, curious, lack fear, and are unaware of the potential dangers. Older children who are performing farm tasks are also more injury prone. In fact, a study found that tractor operators under 14 years of age were involved in nine times more accidents per hour of exposure than those 25-44 years of age.
On the other end of the spectrum, farmers who are near retirement age or older are at a much increased risk of injury as well. Older farmers may become complacent regarding safety because they are so used to the tasks that they are performing. But, as their senses start to fail such as hearing, they may find themselves in a predicament that their now slower reflexes are unable to adequately respond. This often results in an injury or even death.
What farm accidents are unfortunately common in the emergency room at UI Hospitals and Clinics?
Injuries due to falls may be the most common, as they are in most work places. Deaths and injuries related to all-terrain vehicles on the farm and in rural areas in Iowa and across the country have sky-rocketed in the past few years. This pattern, from what we are experiencing in our Emergency Treatment Center, shows no signs of changing in the near future.
Tractors and large machinery operation continue to cause the most agricultural work-related deaths and serious injury. Some of the mechanisms we’ve seen at UI Hospitals and Clinics Emergency Treatment Center include motor vehicles colliding with agricultural vehicles, tractor roll-overs and individuals (especially children) falling off of tractors and other implements.
How can these serious tractor related injuries be prevented?
There are two to three million tractors being used today that do not have Roll-Over Protective Structures (ROPS). Often, these tractors are being driven by children who are much less experienced and by older farmers who are also at greater risk. I would encourage all farmers to retrofit their older tractors with Roll-Over Protective Structures. Many manufacturers provide these units at their cost especially for tractors built from the 1960’s to the 1980’s. With the installation by a farm implement dealer, the price of adding a Roll-Over Protective Structure may still be around $1,000 or more. However, this is relatively negligible compared to other farm costs and could save a life.
I would also like to encourage all farm families to adopt a strict “No Rider” rule. Fifty percent of tractor-related deaths involve extra riders. Despite this, a survey of Successful Farming magazine readers showed nearly all allow their children to ride on a tractor with them. Parents perceive less risk when they feel in control and probably feel a false sense of security having a child on a tractor with them. But, in fact, most fatalities result from a child falling off the tractor with their parent driving. A strict “No Rider” rule may challenge years of farm tradition but certainly provides a greater likelihood that it will continue on into the future.
You mentioned crashes between cars and agricultural vehicles like tractors. How common is that in Iowa?
A traffic report study revealed that there is about one collision on average every day on Iowa roads involving agricultural vehicles. The greatest number of these is during the fall harvest with October being the worse month. A crash involving a farm implement is five times more likely to produce a fatality than other motor vehicle collisions. This type of collision is becoming more common as people build on acreages in rural areas and are commuting on roads shared by farm vehicles.
Can these crashes be prevented?
It is very easy for motorists to misjudge speed with a slow moving vehicle such as a tractor. If one is traveling 55 mph and one comes upon a tractor traveling 15 mph, it only takes five seconds to close a gap the length of a football field. So drivers need to be especially alert and slow down on rural roads especially when going over a hill or around a curve, for example, where down road vision is compromised.
Collisions also occur when a farm vehicle is about to make a left turn and a motorist decides to pass. Often the operator will swing to the right first in order to make a wide left turn but to the motorist it looks like they are moving over to let them pass. This is not the case. Again, motorists need to slow down before passing an agricultural vehicle and be especially wary if the vehicle is near a driveway or farm field entry.
Is there any way to change the escalating number of ATV injuries in Iowa?
There are several major factors behind most serious ATV injuries. One is that riders are not wearing personal protective equipment. A correct sized “off-road” or motorcycle helmet is a must with goggles if a face shield is not part of the helmet. Gloves, long pant and boots should also be worn.
The next factor is that children are operating machines too big for them. Laws state children 12 to 16 years of old can only drive machines with 70-90 cc engines. And, despite the law, many children lack the size and skill to handle any ATV, even though some models are built for them.
Another major factor is that ATVs have poor maneuverability and high speed. They are designed to operate on soft, rough terrain and are difficult to maneuver on concrete or tar. ATVs are designed for one person and one person only. Another rider makes their maneuverability much poorer and greatly increases the likelihood of a crash. So, no riders!
The last major factor is children driving on public roads with an ATV—even though it is against the law. Most of the Iowa fatalities I have seen with children on ATVs are because of this factor including my first cousin.
What is your best advice to reduce the number of farm injures?
As far as children injuries, diligent supervision is critical. It is almost impossible to accomplish farm work and watch children at the same time. Creating a designated safe, fenced-in play area for young children that reinforces the division between the work and play environment is important. This area needs to have appealing play items to make it at least as enticing as the rest of the farmstead. Restrictions, guidelines and boundaries need to be set early and consistently enforced so children learn where they can play safely.
For older children who are working on the farm, parents need to repeat the teaching of tasks and safety training especially after lapses in performing a certain job. Adults need to be a model of safety conscious actions and attitudes. For example, never allowing extra riders on tractors and always stopping equipment when a non-working person enters the area. Children will respond to parent concerns about safety if they see adults practicing the same rules in daily life. |
