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Abstract
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BACKGROUND: Agricultural work involves unique occupational hazards, promptinga need for injury surveillance. The agricultural sector is one of the biggest entities supporting the economy and workforce of South Dakota, yet there is no formal surveillance system for agricultural injuries. This study seeks to establish the first report of trends in agricultural trauma in South Dakota with special attention to work-related injuries.
Methods: Data from the SD Trauma Registry from 2016-2018 was analyzed to identify agricultural traumatic events using specific ICD-9 and 10 codes. These events were further sorted to identify work-related injuries. A negative binomial regression was performed to help identify trends in patient and injury characteristics.
Results: From 2016-2018, 801 agricultural traumatic events were identified, of which 219 were work-related. Despite an annual decrease of 145 hired workers and farm operators/producers, the number of traumatic events increased by 37.3% and 23.2% from 2016-2017 and 2017-2018, respectively. The number of facilities reporting each year may have influenced the magnitude of the rate of change in traumatic events. The rate of fractures increased significantly over this time period, while the rate of burns decreased significantly. The proportion of work-related injuries with the highest injury severity scores (16+) decreased over time.
Conclusions: Our study represents the first analysis of agricultural trauma in South Dakota, which may promote greater awareness of the unique hazards faced by local agricultural workers. Future studies can continue to assess injury trends and track outcomes to help design injury prevention strategies.
Language: en |