Farm accidents: be very careful

Agriculture is a big employer and is also one of the deadliest professions, ranking alongside construction and mining as the most dangerous industry.

- Roelof Bezuidenhout

An accident is an unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally, typically resulting in damage or injury, but fortunately not always. Sometimes minor accidents serve as a warning of what can happen as a result of negligence or failure to take action to minimise risks. As the saying goes, some situations are accidents just waiting to happen.

Statistics about farm accidents are quite frightening, so farmers should perhaps spend more time thinking about what can go wrong, because farms are dangerous workplaces. You’re dealing with animals that move randomly, are difficult to control and often big and aggressive when spooked; heavy machines that can’t be easily stopped; chemicals that have effects on health; and manual labour that’s tough on muscles and joints, particularly if you’re getting on in age.

Additionally, farming is one of the few lines of work where living and employment conditions are mixed; in addition to agriculture workers, family members living on the farm are at risk for fatal and non-fatal injuries including amputation, loss of skin and tissue, severe burns, deafness, blindness and other bodily mutilation.

Information is scarce in South Africa but, globally, at least 170 000 agriculture workers die as a result of accidents. In the US, 60 to 70 per 100 000 farmers are killed annually, while non-fatal injuries occur to about 33% of the farming population, with 3% of accidents resulting in a permanent disability. Part-time workers employed in farming are not always included in these figures; neither is the economic impact of trauma and lost time.

According to Wilson, Kehoe and Winningham (WKW) injury attorneys in the US, farming accidents are common, yet preventable most of the time.