2016 Indiana Farm Fatality Summary with Historical Comparisons

Abstract

Highlights1,412 farm-related fatalities have been documented in Indiana since 1970.There were 30.7 fatalities annually, with an average of 25.2 over the past ten years.Victims age 60 and older have increased slightly, accounting for about 48% of all documented fatalities.Fatalities involving youth under the age of 18 have decreased in frequency.Tractors accounted for 45% of all farm fatalities over the past 20 years.Tractor rollovers continue to be the most frequent cause of farm-related fatalities.Abstract. Purdue University’s Agricultural Safety and Health Program (PUASHP) has been monitoring farm-related fatalities in Indiana for more than 70 years. The earliest identified summary of cases was published in 1960. This database, although recognized as not comprehensive for all farm-related deaths, provides a unique opportunity to explore trends that have occurred over several decades during which agricultural production has experienced considerable transformation in technology and practices. Analysis of earlier unpublished Indiana fatality data gathered during the 1940s and early 1950s identified the leading causes of deaths during that period as livestock related, primarily involving horses and bulls. These animal-related causes of injury and death have been largely replaced, at a much lower frequency, with tractors and machinery. Over the past five decades, the data show a clear downward trend that closely parallels the decline in the number and ongoing consolidation of farm operations, with the exception of the last decade, during which there has been a slightly increasing frequency of incidents. No fewer than 1,412 farm-related fatalities have been documented in Indiana since 1970, or approximately 30.7 fatalities annually, with an average over the past ten years of 25.2. Fatalities involving children and youth ages 1 to 17 have also continued to decline in number from 5 to 9 per year to an average of less than 2 per year over the last five years. On the other hand, incidents involving those over the age of 60 are trending slightly upward, accounting for about 48% of all documented fatalities and for 33% in 2016. For the past two decades, tractors accounted for 45% of all farm fatalities, including in 1998 when the percentage of cases involving tractors reached a high of 75%. Since 1970, tractor overturns have been the single most frequently identified cause of farm-related deaths. In 2016, 36% of all documented fatalities involved tractors, of which nearly all were related to an overturn. Findings suggest that the diversity of causative agents involved is increasing, the problem remains male-centric with ages that exceed the average age of Indiana farmers, children no longer make up a significant number of cases, and the Amish/Old Order communities and part-time farmers in the state account for a disproportionate share of farm-related deaths. Hazards identified as needing special attention include the operation of older, non-rollover protective structure (ROPS) equipped tractors by older workers, working in wood lots and tree felling on farms, operating self-propelled mowing equipment on farms, working with livestock, including horses, and falls from agricultural structures. The findings are being used to aid in allocation of diminishing injury prevention resources and development of more evidenced-based educational programming. Keywords: Farm, Farm fatalities, Fatality, Indiana, Tractor overturn.