Fatal Agricultural Accidents in Kansas: A Thirty-One-Year Study

Agricultural work results in numerous injuries and deaths. Efficacy of farm equipment safety interventions remains unclear. This study evaluated agricultural mortality pre- and postimplementation of safety initiatives. A 31-year retrospective review of mortality data from agriculture-related injuries was conducted. Demographics and injury patterns were evaluated by mechanism of injury. There were 660 deaths (mean age 48.6 years). Female deaths increased from 5.2 to 11.7 per cent (P = 0.032). Mortality associated with tractors decreased (75.6% vs 53.9%; P < 0.001) and with all-terrain vehicles increased (3.5% vs 22.0%; P < 0.001) from Period I to III. However, tractors remain the primary cause of mortality. For mechanical equipment-associated mortality, there was a decrease (83.3% vs 50.0%) in "caught in equipment," and an increase (6.7% vs 38.9%) in those killed by "crush injury" from Period I to III. Application of safety devices to enclose and stabilize machinery has led to an overall decrease in mortality associated with tractors and "caught in equipment." Expanded rural education, as well as further development and use of safety devices, is warranted to curtail farm-related injuries and deaths.