Accidents Take Big Toll on Small Farms



March 14, 1997

Greensboro, NC: With approximately 2,000 disabling farm-related accidents occurring in North Carolina last year, it is easy to see why farming is consistently rated as one of the country's most dangerous professions. Work related accidents pose serious threats to large-scale and small-scale farmers alike, but when a small-scale farmer is injured, the results can be even more far-reaching and devastating.

"In addition to the physical and emotional pain caused by an injury, the economic impact of an injury can cause much hardship," said John Paul Owens, an instructor with the North Carolina A&T State University School of Agriculture and a survey coordinator for A&T's Farm Safety Project. "An injury places additional burden on the farmer due to medical costs, and losses of wages and productivity. "Additional workloads are often placed on the spouse or other family members because of the injury, and, with a permanent disabling injury, an independent farmer can lose his livelihood."

A study conducted by the Farm Safety Project at North Carolina A&T State University showed that 10 percent of surveyed farmers had been involved in a farm-related accident. One small, northwestern county hospital reported that 35 farm-related injuries required emergency room care last year.

Owens points out that many farm-related injuries can be prevented with simple precautions. "All farm 'accidents' are preventable. A farmer can disregard safety for one second and the consequences can be catastrophic."

An example of this sort of mistake is a man who had been farming for 20 years, before a disregard for proper safety procedures cost him one arm and most of another.

The accident occurred toward the end of the day, when the farmer was tired. When a stick clogged his round baler, instead of shutting off the machinery, he left it running and tried to remove the stick. The baler pulled in his shirt and then his arm. When he attempted to remove his entrapped arm from the baler, the other arm became entangled. He lost one arm completely and now wears a prosthesis for the other.

To avoid such mistakes, Owens offers the following as simple suggestions to keep in mind when working on the farm:

• For any piece of equipment or machinery, read and follow the owner's manual which outlines safety precautions.
  
• Be prepared for emergencies. Learn first aid and keep emergency numbers at every telephone.
  
• For any type of pesticide, read the label and follow instructions.
  
• Farmers are most vulnerable to injury when they are tired, hurried, or complacent about safety.
  
• Tractors and machinery are the principal causes of farm injuries. However, in some counties, livestock cause more injuries than machinery.
  
• Never allow riders ­ especially children ­ on farm machinery.
  
• The farm is not a playground. Warn children of hazards around machinery, barns, pens and feedlots.
  
• Clothing that is ill-fitting or tattered can be caught by moving parts.

The Farm Safety Project works in collaboration with county Extension offices across the state. Future training and demonstrations are scheduled in Alleghany, Watauga, Surry, Guilford, Stokes, Yancey, Mitchell and Sampson counties.

The Farm Safety Project is funded by the Centers for Disease Control, and Cooperative Extension personnel with both North Carolina A&T and North Carolina State University are assisting.

For more information, please call John Paul Owens, NC A&T School of Agriculture, (336) 334-7901.

- 30 -