Nonfatal injury rates of Utah agricultural producers

The purposes of this study were to identify the source and frequency of agricultural injuries in Utah, and determine an injury rate for common agricultural activities. Previous studies conducted in Utah examined injury rates by utilizing emergency room logs. This study collected data directly from the source, farmers and ranchers in Utah, and included all modes of treatment. A random sample of Utah Farm Bureau members were mailed questionnaires to assess the number of injuries occurring during the past three years, the mode of treatment for the most recent injury, and the percentage of time spent in hazardous activities. The rate of injuries requiring medical treatment (19.9%) observed in this survey-based study was higher than reported in previous studies at the state and national level. Nearly half (48.7%) of the injuries reported were treated at home or by a family member. As in the previous Utah studies, working with horses was found to be the single most dangerous activity for agriculturalists in Utah in terms of injuries per unit time of exposure, followed by servicing agricultural machinery.