Today, Iowa farmers operate much safer, more sophisticated machinery than just a few years ago. Previous research helped pave the way for these safety advances. But there is not as much information about the health conditions affecting farmers. A new University of Iowa Health Care study is the first to evaluate certain risk factors for machinery-related farm injuries.

" We found that farmers at particular risk of injury had hearing impairments, were less experienced working on the farm, and had problems with alcohol," says Nancy Sprince, M.D., Ph.D., UI Public Health specialist.

In fact, farmers with hearing aids were four-times more likely to be injured by farm machinery than those without hearing problems. Problem drinking raised the risk by two-and-a-half times. Researchers also believe tractors without roll-over protection are a major contributor to farm-related injury and death.

" These unsafe tractors, which make up about 50 percent of tractors in use on the farm in the United States, need to be retrofitted with rollover protective structures, or discarded for any use on the farm. I think that will save lives," says Sprince.

Farmers suffered serious injuries from other types of equipment, including conveyors, power hand tools, and gardening machinery. Hands, fingers, back, and eyes were the most frequently injured areas of the body.

The research is part of the Agricultural Health Study, which evaluates various factors on the health of farmers and their spouses.

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Agricultural Health Study