Seasonal farm workers are an integral part of the Washington agricultural industry. The Washington State Employment Security Office reports seasonal farm work to be mostly comprised of Hispanic farm workers, who originate from Mexico. Although agriculture is one of the most hazardous industries, injuries among this population are not well documented. To better understand work-related injuries among Hispanic farm workers, this study utilized random digit dial telephone survey to sample farm workers aged 18 years and older residing in Sunnyside, Washington, to estimate the 1-year cumulative incidence of agricultural injuries. Of the 440 farm workers sampled, 47 injuries were reported among 44 injured farm workers for a crude incidence rate of 10.7 injured farm workers (95% CI=7.38-12.96) per 100 farm workers per year and 13.05 per 100 FTE. The leading causes of farm injury were falls (38.1%) and bending and lifting injuries (28.6%). The majority of reported injury types involved muscle sprains or strains (45.3%) and broken bones (18.9%). Farm workers between the ages of 30 and 38 (OR=2.85, 95% CI=1.14-7.34), farm workers with more than 20 years experience (OR=2.43, 95% CI=1.08-5.56) and farm workers with year round work status (OR=2.04, 95% CI=1.04-4.02) had a statistically significant increased risk for a farm-related injury. Farm workers whose household was located on a farm (OR=0.25, 95% CI=0.05-0.82) were at a decreased risk of farm-related injury.
Learning Objectives: 1. Participants will understand the use of a phone survey to determine injury rates 2. Participants will be able to identify injury rates among adult hispanic farmworkers based on age and work experience
Keywords: Agricultural Work Safety, Data Collection
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.