Agricultural Safety: 2008 Injuries to Adults on Hispanic Farms

Agricultural Safety: 2008 Injuries to
Adults on Hispanic-Operated Farms
ISSN: 2156-3454

Released August 5, 2010, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA).

Occupational Injuries to Adults on Hispanic-Operated Farms in the United States, 2003 and 2008
In 2003, there were an estimated 47,501 Hispanic operated farms. On these farms there were 1,662 total occupational
injuries to adults 20 years of age and older at a rate of 3.5 injuries per 100 farms. In 2008, while the number of farms
grew to 53,055, the number of injuries and rate decreased to 1,222 injuries with a rate of 2.3 per 100 farms. The findings
are based on a telephone survey of Hispanic operated farms conducted by the National Agricultural Statistics Service
(NASS) for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Farm operators were asked questions
about injuries to adults 20 years of age and older working on their farms in 2003 and 2008. An injury was defined as any
condition occurring on the farm operation resulting in at least 4 hours of restricted activity or requiring professional
medical attention.
Approximately 75 percent of injuries on Hispanic-operated farms occurred to males. In 2003, 1,246 agricultural-related
work injuries occurred to males, while 945 injuries were to males in 2008. In 2003, adults 55 years of age or older
incurred 26 percent of all injuries (411 injuries). In 2008, adults 55 years of age and older were the injured party in
51 percent of all injury events (581 injuries). Individuals under the age of 35 years incurred less than 16 percent of all
injuries to adults on Hispanic operated farms in 2008 and 22 percent in 2003.
The majority of injuries in both years happened to adults who lived on the farm. In 2003, household adults accounted for
68 percent of all work-related injuries, while in 2008 household adults accounted for almost 77 percent of these injuries.
In 2003, household adults were injured at a rate of 9.7 injuries per 1,000 household adults (990 total injuries). Of these
injuries in 2003, 35 percent were to adults 45 to 54 years of age, with 32 percent occurring to people 55 years of age and
older. In 2008, the rate of injury for household adults was 9.4 injuries per 1,000 household adults (871 total injuries). The
age distribution for the injuries to household adults in 2008 was 29 percent to adults 45 to 54 years of age, with 54 percent
occurring to people 55 years of age and older.
NIOSH sponsored this survey to better understand the magnitude and scope of working agricultural-related injuries to
adults. The survey was conducted as part of the NIOSH Occupational Injury Surveillance of Production Agriculture
Survey. For further information, contact John Myers, NIOSH, at (304) 285-6005 or Mark Gutierrez, USDA/NASS, at
(202) 690-2389.

Adult Work-Related Injuries on Hispanic-Operated Farms - United States 2003 and 2008
[Estimates may not add due to rounding.]
Year
2003

Region2
Total injuries
Northeast

2008

In business
farms1

Injuries per 100
farms

Total injuries

In business
farms1

Injuries per 100
farms

62

1,410

4.4

47

922

5.1

Midwest

265

5,040

5.3

99

3,527

2.8

South

554

23,007

2.4

553

26,848

2.1

West

784

18,042

4.3

522

21,757

2.4

Total

1,662

47,501

3.5

1,222

53,055

2.3

1 Farm counts are benchmarked to the 2007 Census of Agriculture.
2 Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New. Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont
South: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South
Carolina,Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.
Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
West: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

Household Adult Work-Related Injuries on Hispanic-Operated Farms - United States: 2003 and 2008
[Estimates may not add due to rounding.]
Year
2

2003

Region

Population
Northeast

1

2008

Total injuries

Injuries per 1000
adults

2,909

48

16.5

Midwest

10,344

174

16.8

South

49,091

418

8.5

West

38,699

350

9.0

Total

101,843

990

9.7

1

Population

1,879

Total injuries

Injuries per 1000
adults

47

25.0

6,442

79

12.3

43,951

482

11.0

40,351

262

6.5

92,623

871

9.4

1 Farm counts are benchmarked to the 2007 Census of Agriculture.
2 Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New. Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont
South: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South
Carolina,Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.
Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
West: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

2

Agricultural Safety: 2008 Injuries to Ad Hispanic Operated Farms (August 2010)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

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