Citation

Hagel LM, Dosman JA, Rennie DC, Ingram MW, Senthilselvan A. J. Agric. Saf. Health 2004; 10(3): 155-162.

Affiliation

Institute of Agricultural, Rural, and Environmental Health, University of Saskatchewan, Royal University Hospital, Saskatoon, Canada.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2004, American Society of Agricultural Engineers)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

15461132

Abstract

Machinery-related injuries are the leading cause of fatal and hospitalized injuries on Canadian farms. In Saskatchewan, the proportion of all farm injuries related to farm machinery exceeds that reported for all of Canada. This project examined the relationship between age and various factors associated with farm machine-related injuries in Saskatchewan. A retrospective review of hospital discharge data from the administrative data set of Saskatchewan Health was conducted using external cause of injury codes to identify cases of farm machinery injury that occurred in Saskatchewan during the period April 1, 1990, to March 31, 2000. Log linear estimates of association of various factors in four age groups were derived. There were 1,493 hospitalizations attributed to farm machinery-related injuries. Among the injured cohort, age was a predictor of the rate of injury. Significant association for nature of injury, mechanism of injury, and type of machine varied by age group. These data provide insights for a case-control study of farm machinery-related injuries with the objective of determining personal, environmental, and machine-related factors that are responsible for this serious public health issue.