A cross-sectional case control study of work-related injuries among Ohio farmers

The agricultural industry has consistently been ranked among the most hazardous in the U.S. To date, few analytic studies of occupational injury among farm operators and workers have been conducted. A case control study was undertaken to investigate risk factors for agricultural work-related injury among Ohio farm operators. Cases were selected from among 1,793 respondents to a questionnaire administered during the first phase of the NIOSH-sponsored Ohio Farm Family Health and Hazard Study (OFFHHS). Analysis consisted of description of the injury experience of the sample as a whole, followed by logistic estimation of prevalence odds ratios (pORs) measuring the effect of potential risk factors on injury risk. The case series consisted of 90 white male principal operators (POs) injured doing farm work in the 12 months prior to questionnaire completion. Controls consisted of 1,475 white male POs who reported no injuries. The overall rate of injury was 5 per 100 person-years. The most notable result is the relationship between self-reported neurotoxic symptoms and injury, suggesting those with more reported symptoms were at greater risk of injury. The crude OR, when compared to the reference score of < or = 27, increased from 1.74 (95% CI = 0.60-5.09) in the 28-30 category, to 1.89 (95% CI = 0.71-5.03) in the 31-35 category, to 2.96 (95% CI = 1.10-7.96) in the highest category of test score. The P value for trend was 0.0218. These associations largely persisted after controlling for potential confounders with multiple logistic regression. Risk was inversely related to age. The results show marked increases in risk of injury associated with farmers younger than 30 and increased severity of self-reported neurological symptoms, controlling for potential confounding.