Search

ObjectiveMethodResultsConclusionElectrical hazards on farms are one of the occupational risks that contributes to farm injury and fatality. Whilst electricity accounts for a low number of farm injuries each year, it is disproportionately fatal. The aim of this study is to raise the awareness of electrical safety on farms by providing an overview of the literature that explores the evidence of farmers’ perception of electrical risk. The review sought evidence of farmers’ efforts to promote electrical safety awareness and uptake of electrocution prevention strategies.A rapid review was performed following the Cochrane Rapid Reviews Method Group and PRISMA guidelines, searching grey and peer-reviewed databases with criteria that included both farming and electrical risk. This resulted in 35 key articles of interest and five themes.The prevalent causes and contributing factors of electrical incidents and near misses on farms is not easily explained. Farmers overlook its presence as one of the hazards on farm, but at the same time the element of danger or threat of electrocution deters farmers from taking unnecessary risks. The data to profile farmers at risk of electrical injury is inadequate however the scope of risk is described through five themes: epidemiology, risk perception, exposure, intervention and prevention.Due to the seriousness of electrical injury, intervention and prevention strategies need to specifically address electrical hazards rather than incorporate electricity as a risk into all of the hazards found on farms. The review recommends future work that engages with Australian farmers and farm workers to better understand their experience of electricity exposures, the risks they are willing to take around overhead powerlines, and their insights into how to make working on farms safer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ectopic transplantation of the hand remains a rare, innovative yet valuable operation in select cases of trauma and amputation. We aim to describe a novel technique of complex hand reconstruction using a two‐stage ectopic implantation of the contralateral upper limb. A male patient with a near complete avulsion amputation of the right upper limb at the level of the mid‐forearm and a crushing injury to his left hand was admitted after a farming accident. The right palm was ectopically transplanted to the left lower limb and both upper limbs underwent debridement with vacuum assisted dressings (VACs). There was eventual dieback of the left thumb, ring and little finger with a large palmar soft tissue defect that was eventually reconstructed using segments of the ectopically transplanted limb in two separate operations. The patient made an uneventful postoperative recovery and managed to regain protective sensation and gross motor function of his reconstructed hand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, terrible driver behavior and driving performance have been the primary causes of increasing agricultural tractor accidents. However, how environmental factors influence driver behavior and driving safety is not clarified clearly yet for tractors. Therefore, this article researched the effects of road type and in-vehicle information system (IVIS) task type on driver behavior and driving performance. Thirty-two participants were randomly assigned to four groups equally. They finished the simulation on three types of roads while each group conducted one different IVIS task. Drivers' wrist movement acceleration (ACC), rotation angular velocity (GYRO), and surface temperature (TEMP) were recorded and statistically analyzed together with the driving performance parameter (DP) and workload index. Results showed that road and IVIS task types significantly affected drivers' ACC, GYRO, TEMP, and DP. IVIS task type significantly affected driver workload. This article will contribute to road and tractor IVIS design, driver behavior and safety research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture, alongside construction and mining, is one of the three most hazardous industries, and is characterized by numerous risk factors for occupational accidents. Unlike other industries, agriculture faces significant safety concerns related to the natural environment. Determining the causes of accidents is therefore imperative for accident prevention. However, the difficulty in investigating accidents owing to inadequate reporting and management systems among self-employed farmers hampers the determination of their causes. This study aims to determine the factors influencing agricultural accidents through a literature review. A systematic literature search was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines. The initial search yielded 165 articles of which 34 papers were selected after removing those by applying the selection criteria. The selected papers were categorized into three domains: work accidents, machinery accidents, and farmer safety promotion. Accident causes were classified using the 4M technique: machine, media, man, and management. The results were visualized with a heat map. The main causes of accidents thus identified were insufficient operation/management, inappropriate work situation, and insufficient education/training. The findings of this study can serve as foundational data for developing measures to improve working environments not only in agriculture but also in other high-hazard industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accident is an unexpected event with negative consequences occurring unintentionally causes due to ignorance, lack of training and knowledge and unsuited design of implements. Ergonomics prioritizes design of safer machinery and tools for accident avoidance. To investigate about agricultural accidents surveys were conducted during the periods 2005-2007 and 2012-2014 throughout West Bengal to assess the magnitude, causes and severity of agricultural accidents through direct interviews of the victims and their related ones in case of fatal accidents with the help of developed questionnaire. Different ergonomic interventions were introduced to the agricultural workers to minimize the accidents. The total population in the periods 2005-2007 and 2012-2014 of the selected districts was recorded as 189940 including 53.6% male and 46.3% female and 297347 with 52.4% male and 47.6% female, respectively with total growth of 36.1% since 2007. Highly accident prone agricultural machinery includes thresher, power tiller, rotavator, chaff cutter, tractor etc. Accidents due to agricultural machinery, hand tools and other sources like snake bite, thunder were found to be 14.8%, 54.8% and 30.4%, respectively in 2005-2007 and 44.1%, 27.5% and 28.4%, respectively. The accident incidence rates due to hand tools was found to be decreased from 1.51 to 0.127 per 1000 hand tools due to increase of awareness about use of hand tools. But in the contrary, the accident incidence rates due to agricultural machinery was found to be increased over two mentioned periods from 1.28 to 2.62 per 1000 farm machines due to increased mechanization over the years. More awareness about the safe operation of agricultural machinery will decrease the accident incidence rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION: Wire strikes and in-air collisions with obstacles are a leading cause of accidents in the aerial application industry. While some of these collisions occur due to unseen obstacles, some pilots report being previously aware of the obstacles that they collide with. Whether or not pilots are aware of obstacles pre-collision is an important factor to inform methods of accident prevention. METHODS: Final reports from the National Transportation Safety Board were analyzed for Part 137 Agricultural Operation accidents that took place between January 2020 and December 2022. A deeper analysis of cases that involved an in-air collision with an obstacle was performed, excluding cases that were attributable to an external cause (e.g., aerodynamic stall). The pilot's awareness of the obstacle pre-accident was inferred from accident narratives if available. RESULTS: Nearly half of all accidents (N = 45 of 107) involved an in-air collision with an obstacle (e.g., wire, tree, pole) as the defining event. In cases where pilot awareness of the obstacle was determinable through the accident report, over half of pilots (N = 21 of 39) had previously seen this obstacle yet still made contact with it. DISCUSSION: In-air obstacle collisions make up a substantial portion of accidents within Part 137 Agricultural Operations. Nearly half of pilots were already aware of the obstacle before collision, indicating that inadequate preparation in scoping the field is not a predominant driver of these events. Instead, these findings suggest that other factors including distractions, high task difficulty, and errors in decision-making may contribute. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This study aims to understand how virtual livestock fences (VFs), introduced to the UK in 2020, were being used and to identify the animal welfare opportunities and challenges of VF systems. VF systems work by training livestock to respect a virtual fence line by pairing an audible warning tone with an electric shock. Semistructured interviews were conducted with key stakeholders (n = 8), including policymakers, leading conservation managers, and regenerative farmers. We found VF systems were utilised in three main settings: 1. Extensive grassland, where physical fences were prohibited or uneconomical, such as national parks or mountains; 2. Conservation grazing, where livestock grazing is primarily used to manage habitat for biodiversity, such as nature reserves; 3. In mob, strip, or rotational grazing systems, where VFs replace physical electric fencing to reduce workload. This study finds that, in extensive settings, VFs can help safeguard livestock from dangers and aid stockpersons to locate and care for animals. However, in restricted settings, VFs are less predictable and controllable for livestock than physical fences, resulting in livestock (cattle) receiving a greater number of electric shocks than experienced with physical electric fences. The use of VFs in a restricted setting poses a significant risk to livestock welfare. Protocols are needed to encourage best practices and help prevent the misuse of VF systems. Virtual fences for livestock facilitated by a GPS shock collar (GPS-SC) and phone app were introduced to the UK in cattle herd trials in 2020. Technology which uses aversive shocks to control livestock movement on farms and in other settings poses a significant risk to livestock welfare. There are currently no welfare protocols in place in the UK to ensure the ethical use of GPS-SCs. The objective of this study was to understand how GPS-SCs were being used in practice in the UK and gather data to assist researchers and policymakers in the future research and development of a welfare protocol for the UK. We studied how the technology performs in terms of welfare challenges and opportunities, covering extensive livestock production, conservation settings, "rewilding", and regenerative farming practices, where the technology is currently being applied. Semistructured interviews were conducted with key stakeholders. In-depth interviews (n = 8) supported the previous literature that the use of GPS-SCs in restricted grazing settings poses a risk to animal welfare. This is due to the wavering virtual fence boundary line (which is affected by satellite movements), a lack of visual markers, and, in some "rewilding" and conservation settings, livestock keepers, which require training and support to enable optimal welfare in practice and prevent misuse of the technology. Results also indicated that there are opportunities for enhancing livestock welfare with GPS-SCs in very extensive farm settings, where targeted care can be facilitated by using the data to monitor and track livestock using GPS-SCs, and which can also prevent cattle injury or fatality through virtual pastures designed to protect livestock from hazards such as roads or bogs. Future research is needed to focus on minimising shocks in the training period and to better understand the value of visual electric fences in the training process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mucormycosis is an opportunistic infection affecting mainly immunocompromised hosts. Infection in immunocompetent patients is rare, but may occur typically in trauma or burn victims. We report on a previously healthy young man suffering devastating trauma from an agricultural accident with the subsequent development of a multifocal mucormycosis. Diagnosis was achieved by cultures obtained from non-healing wounds, some of them even covered by a macroscopic mold formation. Specific treatment was initiated soon after the preliminary results indicated mucormycosis. Aggressive surgical therapy, with concomitant use of systemic posaconazole and topical amphotericin B in a combination treatment, led to the elimination of the fungal infection. The remaining deep tissue defects were consequently reconstructed by a muscle flap and skin graft autotransplantation with a good overall outcome, which would not have been possible without the complete remission of mucormycosis. This case study presents the successful use of a combination treatment with systemic posaconazole and topical amphotericin B and underlines the importance of timely and aggressive surgical therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farm tractors have become a key part of daily routine agriculture, converting complex and time-consuming tasks into tasks that are easier to perform and less dependent on human labor, contributing directly to increasing the economic value generated by this activity sector, either by increasing the productivity or by making certain agricultural crops viable, which otherwise would not be sustainable. However, despite all the advantages, accidents with this type of equipment are common, often with critical and sometimes fatal consequences. The evolution of safety requirements of these machines has occurred at a good level; however, a significant part of the agricultural tractors in use are older models that do not have such solutions. Even in the new models, which contain such solutions, these are not always correctly used, and it is even common that they are turned off or simply not used at all. It is therefore natural that accidents continue to occur, a situation that is aggravated by other factors. Lack of situational awareness of the operators, which can result from advanced age, inadequate training, reduced sensitivity/respect for safety rules, or working on irregular terrain like mountainous areas, contribute to high-risk contexts that end in the loss of human life. The consequences of such accidents are clearly aggravated by the time it takes to assist the victims—either because accidents are simply not identified/reported immediately, or by the time it takes to locate and provide help to the victims. This is a scenario that is more common in mountainous regions and regions with low population density. The current paper, using NB-IoT, a set of sensors, and a web application, presents a conceptual toolset conceived to prevent accidents and minimize consequences (human and material) that can be applied to old and new farm tractors. The development was carried out taking the characterization of the farmers and the land in the region in which the authors' research institution is located into account, which has the highest rate of fatal accidents with agricultural tractors in the country; it is a region of mountainous with a very low population density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In India, agriculture contributed significantly to economy of Country. As per census 2011, total no. of agricultural worker found to be 236 million.[2] In report of safe work Australia revealed that over eight year 328 death occurred due to agricultural injuries, out of which 92% death were reported in males and 8% were reported among females.[22] Due to non availability of adequate data of agricultural accidents it becomes difficult to calculate financial burden of these risks and to identify the pathways and means to mitigate them. Methodology: An observational cross sectional study conducted after getting ethical approval from ethical committee in villages of Ratlam District selected by stratified random sampling method for the duration of one year. Data collected by using predesigned structured proforma through selected villages using key informant approach. Study financially supported by Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR). Discussion: In our study most of agricultural accidents during agricultural activities due to Hand tools related accidents (433) followed by other accidents such as drowning, animal and snake bites etc.(164), and agricultural machinery (147). Most of the fatal injuries reported mainly due to other accidents (135) followed by agricultural machinery (95) related accidents and field related work (57). Conclusion: Agricultural accidents responsible for fatal and non-fatal injuries which results in financial loss not only to the family of victims but also to community, state or country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tractors are one of the most widely used machines in the agricultural sector. Most of the accidents in the agricultural sector are caused by the overturning of tractors. In order for the driver to survive after a rollover, some passive safety measures must be taken. Especially in tractors without cab, this mechanism called ROPS (Roll-Over Protective Structure) prevents the driver from being under the tractor during tipping. Although ROPS are in different designs, they must be manufactured to certain standards in accordance with the regulation. The basic obligation as per the regulation; is that the force that the operator (driver) must spend while performing these operations during the active and passive positions of the front-mounted protective structure (ROPS) is under certain limits. In ROPS design; It is made in such a way that there is at least one shaft to connect the U protection bar to the ROPS left-right leg. Thus, it is ensured that the U protection bar is rotatably connected with respect to the ROPS left-right leg. Spring mechanism design and manufacturing has been added to the protective structure, which does not have a front-mounted auxiliary support system. Thanks to the spring placed in the system, less force is consumed by supporting the energy that the driver will spend during this process. Thus, thanks to this mechanism, the front protective structure has been reduced to levels that will remain below the limit values in the regulations while being switched from the active position to the passive position or vice versa. In the regulation, the measured values for the 1st Region, 2nd Region and 3rd Region should be applied to the forces 100 N, 75 N and 50 N, respectively. In the design without spring mechanism, these forces were measured as 166.77 N, 156.97 N and 127.53 N, respectively. It has been observed that the data obtained is well above the limits in the regulation. In the spring mechanism measurements, it was determined as 83.39 N, 68.67 N and 39.24 N, respectively, and it was reduced below the regulation limits. As a result, ROPS mechanisms have been transformed into a system that provides less time loss and force requirement for users by meeting the regulation requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unintentional injuries are a leading cause of preventable harm among adolescents. Adolescents also experience an increased risk of farm injury, and in Australia, injury-related farm fatalities among adolescents have remained largely unchanged over the past two decades. A third of all incidents involve farm visitors, indicating the need for population-level safety information. This project uses qualitative data to inform a co-design process with adolescents, and their teachers, to develop a game-based farm injury prevention online educational resource. This protocol describes the multi-phase co-design project. Focus group discussions regarding farm injury prevention will be held with students (Year 7 & 8; ∼12–14 years of age) and teachers at high schools with an agricultural focus across two Australian states. Inductive thematic analysis of discussion transcripts, and analysis of farm injury data, will inform the development of the modules and content of the game. User experience testing of the prototype will form the final phase of the project. This process is supported by a Stakeholder Advisory Group, which includes representatives of youth farming organisations, agricultural educators, and national child safety organisations. This group will assist in interpretation and dissemination of findings and promoting the resultant educational resource in schools. Ethical approval has been granted by the University of New South Wales Human Research Ethics Committee. Results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, mass media releases, academic conferences, and the agricultural education sector in Australia via the stakeholder advisory group. This study will provide useful insights into co-designing injury prevention resources for adolescents using gamification and result in a co-designed farm injury prevention educational resource for schools and the general community via mobile and web-based applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rollover tendency of upland farm machinery needs to be carefully considered because upland crop fields are typically irregular, and accidents frequently result in injuries and even death to the operators. In this study, the rollover characteristics of an underdeveloped 12 kW automatic onion transplanter were determined theoretically and evaluated through simulation and validation tests considering the mounting position of the transplanting unit and load conditions. The center of gravity (CG) coordinates for different mass distributions, and static and dynamic rollover angles were calculated theoretically. Simulation and validation tests were conducted to assess the static rollover angle under different mounting positions of the transplanting unit and load conditions of the onion transplanter. The dynamic rollover tendency was evaluated by operating the onion transplanter on different surfaces and at different speeds. According to the physical properties and mass of the onion transplanter, the theoretical rollover angle was 34.5°, and the coordinates of the CG gradually moved back to the rear wheel axle after attaching the transplanting part and under upward riding conditions. The average simulated rollover angle was 43.9°. A turning difference of 4.5° was observed between the right and left sides, where a 3° angle difference occurred due to the load variation. During the dynamic stability test, angle variations of 2~4° and 3~6° were recorded for both high and low driving speeds in the vehicle platform and transplanting unit, respectively. The overturning angles also satisfied the ISO standard. This study provides helpful information for ensuring the safety of upland crop machinery operating under rough and sloped field conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the association of self-reported occupational stress and injury among farm and ranch operators in the central United States. Randomly sampled operators received mail surveys with questions related to injuries, chronic health conditions, work exposures, and preventive measures in 2018 and 2020. Injury risk factors were analyzed using Poisson regression analysis. Out of 6,744 participants, 836 (12%) reported at least one injury in the past 12 months and 1,766 (26%) reported work-related stress. The percentage of those reporting stress was 24% among those with no injuries, 36% among those with one injury, and 66% among those with two or more injuries. Similar percentages across the three injury categories were found for sleep deprivation (21%, 30%, and 51%) and fatigue (25%, 39%, and 66%). A high perceived stress level was a risk factor for injury in the final adjusted model (adjusted Rate Ratio (aRR): 1.93, 95% CI: 1.65 to 2.25) when controlling for hearing loss (aRR: 1.25, CI: 1.25 to 1.75) and exposure to animal and/or chemical based allergens (aRR: 1.49, CI: 1.17 to 1.91). With musculoskeletal symptoms (MSS) in the model, the association of stress and injuries was attenuated (aRR: 1.54, CI: 1.32 to 1.79) while MSS had a strong association with injuries (aRR: 3.79, CI: 3.00 to 4.78). Stress, sleep deprivation, and fatigue were associated with injuries in a dose-response manner. Preventing injuries among farmers and ranchers requires a focus on stress reduction and related health conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, air quality prediction is the most essential process taken by an Indian government. Due to poor quality of air, unhealthy lifestyle and premature deaths of humans have arisen in India, especially in Delhi. Not only has a human's health, but the air pollution also made a huge impact on several areas like economy, agriculture and road accidents, etc. In recent times, deep learning (DL) technologies are influenced every application rapidly even in air pollution prediction. In this work, the novel optimised DL algorithms are proposed for the efficient prediction of air quality particularly focussing on Chennai, Tamil Nadu. To provide higher accuracy in air quality prediction, the novel optimised DL algorithms are proposed which is combined several models like ARIMA and CNN-LSTM and Tuna Optimization Algorithm, respectively. Initially, CNN and LSTM are combined to provide hybrid architecture. Next, the metaheuristics-based tuna swarm optimization model is applied for fine-tuning the hyperparameters of the CNN-LSTM model which is known as the Tuna Optimised CNN-LSTM (TOCL) method. Finally, the novel TOCL is applied to the residuals of the ARIMA model to form an ARIMA- TOCL (ARTOCL) model. As a result, the novel ARTOCL is learned and performed with an optimal air quality prediction. The metrics of the Hybrid ARTOCL model are evaluated as a better mean absolute error (MAE), root mean squared error (RMSE), R2 score and the normalized RMSE (nRMSE) with higher accuracy than the previous models. The results show that the proposed prediction model has 22.6% R2 improvement, 14.6% MAE reductions, 22% RMSE reductions and 16.45% nRMSE reductions than the existing models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brucellosis is a severe public health problem in China. However, analysis on related infection events is lacking. We performed a systematic analysis of brucellosis laboratory infection and vaccine infection events from 2006 to 2019 in China based on the published literatures. Our analysis showed that most laboratoryBrucellainfections in hospitals were found in Southern China. The identification and handling of suspected samples ofBrucellainfection without following the recommended biosafety protection was the main risk factor. It is important to strengthen the preventive awareness of clinical laboratory staff and physicians, while highlighting the compulsory handling and identification of suspectedBrucella-infected samples in biosafety facilities and following biosafety practices. However, a severe Brucella infection accident at the Northeast Agricultural University, with 28 positive cases, showed that strengthening the management in teaching experiments of students in the veterinary-related profession is essential. However, cluster S2 vaccine strain infection events caused by vaccination and production were mainly observed in Northern China. Strengthening vaccination skills, personal protection, and improving the biosafety management of vaccine production and implementing regular risk surveillance is mandatory. Our analysis provides helpful clues for control of public health events involving brucellosis, as well as implementing intervention strategies is urgent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examined safety in agricultural extension and development in Cross River State, Nigeria. It reviewed literature on unsafe behavior in agricultural extension and development, assess unsafe environment in agricultural extension and development, examine the common hazards in agriculture, review the importance of safety in agricultural development and assess safety constraints in agricultural extension and development. The paper observed that; improper clothing, emergency preparedness, field operations, and livestock handling were some of the aspects where farmer’s activities needed more safety attention in the study area. Also the paper noted that certain activities and conditions influence safety in agricultural extension and development in Cross River State such as; poor handling of animals, Confined Spaces, Heights, Machinery, Noise Pollution, Vehicles, Water, and Weather. Common hazards reviewed were dangers originating from agricultural machinery such as tractor, implement or tools, hazardous chemicals, toxic or allergenic agents, carcinogenic substances, transmissible animal diseases, ergonomic hazards, and extreme temperatures while safety constraints in agricultural extension included macro-contextual factors and institutional contextual factors. The study recommended that the level of hazards emanating from agricultural operations be determined and evaluated, while also ensuring the implementation of zero hazardous practices in the Nigerian agriculture. The study conclude that safety is crucial for agricultural development, as accident and hazards are the products of negligence and avoidance of the extra effort or cost of carrying out farm activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examined safety in agricultural extension and development in Cross River State, Nigeria. It reviewed literature on unsafe behavior in agricultural extension and development, assess unsafe environment in agricultural extension and development, examine the common hazards in agriculture, review the importance of safety in agricultural development and assess safety constraints in agricultural extension and development. The paper observed that; improper clothing, emergency preparedness, field operations, and livestock handling were some of the aspects where farmer's activities needed more safety attention in the study area. Also the paper noted that certain activities and conditions influence safety in agricultural extension and development in Cross River State such as; poor handling of animals, Confined Spaces, Heights, Machinery, Noise Pollution, Vehicles, Water, and Weather. Common hazards reviewed were dangers originating from agricultural machinery such as tractor, implement or tools, hazardous chemicals, toxic or allergenic agents, carcinogenic substances, transmissible animal diseases, ergonomic hazards, and extreme temperatures while safety constraints in agricultural extension included macro-contextual factors and institutional contextual factors. The study recommended that the level of hazards emanating from agricultural operations be determined and evaluated, while also ensuring the implementation of zero hazardous practices in the Nigerian agriculture. The study conclude that safety is crucial for agricultural development, as accident and hazards are the products of negligence and avoidance of the extra effort or cost of carrying out farm activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overturning accidents in agriculture offroad vehicles have been reported annually around the world. Safety structures, such as rollover prevention, have been adopted to mitigate these accidents. Despite this, accidents remain persistent but less fatal. This study investigated the safe driving boundary for a multi-purpose platform with attachments (cargo, pepper harvester). Mathematical formulations of the roll and pitch motions for multi-purpose platforms were created. The critical overturning angle, at five load levels for each machine (0, 50, 100, 150, 200 kg), was determined using Recurdyn, a dynamic analysis software. Regression analysis of each coordinate of the center of gravity was conducted to verify the most critical coordinate against gaining loads. The critical overturning angle for the X and Y directions was found. The cargo and pepper harvester had 28.64° and 21.04° of critical overturning angles in the Y direction, respectively, with a full loading state while climbing a steep hill. The regression model of the X, Y, and Z coordinates of CoG suggested that the most critical coordinate of the CoG against the loads was in the Y coordinate for the pepper harvester and the X direction for cargo. This study could be applied to develop an awareness safety system that warns the operator of the risk of a fatal accident. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Safety is an important indicator to the design of agricultural machinery products. In order to grasp the risk source of agricultural machinery accidents accurately, explore the causes and laws of agricultural machinery accidents, and prevent the occurrence of various accidents in the process of agricultural machinery products effectively. This study constructs a fuzzy fault tree model by combining the fault tree analysis method with the triangular fuzzy number, and analyzes the factors which cause agricultural machinery accidents. The results are as follows: 1) Through fault tree analysis, 23 known and potential causes of agricultural machinery accidents were deduced, and 57 minimum cut sets and 3 minimum path sets were solved; 2) The probabilities of 23 basic events were fuzzed by triangular fuzzy number theory, and the fuzzy probability value of each basic event was obtained; 3) Sorting fuzzy importance of 23 basic events has clarified the degree of influence of each basic event on the top event. Factors such as, Machine without safety protection device (X 1), Personnel not wearing safety protective equipment (X 2), Long Working Hours (X 16), Unreasonable control device (X 15), Speeding and overloading (X 7), are ranked top among the 23 factors. The analysis result shows that these factors have a great impact on the occurrence of agricultural machinery accidents which should be given priority in the formulation of preventative measurements to agricultural machinery accidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, there is a discrepancy between the number of occupational accidents in the agricultural sector reported by Spanish governmental sources and those actually occurring in general. This is mainly due to the official definition of 'occupational accident' in the current regulations. In order to be able to analyse all fatal accidents involving tractors, other sources of information must therefore be used. In this study, we have collected the news published in different media during the period 2010–2019. Statistical models that take into account the spatial and temporal dependence of the data were used to estimate the rates of fatal accidents in the provinces of Spain using the Bayesian inference technique INLA (Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation). The results obtained showed that the total number of fatal accidents in that period was 644. The crude rates of fatal accidents per province ranged from 0 to 223.5 fatal accidents per 100,000 registered tractors. In addition, the overall rate for Spain as a whole was 6.87 fatal accidents per 100,000 tractors. As in other EU countries, it was found that the regions with the highest number of accidents were also related to steep terrain, to an older tractor fleet and to horticultural crops and vineyards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Argentinian Horticulture / Horticultura Argentina is the property of Revista Horticultura Argentina and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: The Amish population is a unique subset of patients that may require a specialized approach due to their lifestyle differences compared to the general population. With this reasoning, Amish mortalities may differ from typical trauma mortality patterns. We sought to provide an overview of Amish mortalities and hypothesized that there would be differences in injury patterns between mortalities and survivors.Methods: All Amish trauma patients who presented and were captured by the trauma registry at our Level I trauma center over 20 years (1/2000-2004/2020) were analyzed. A retrospective chart review was subsequently performed. Patients who died were of interest to this study. Demographic and clinical variables were analyzed for the mortalities. Mortalities were then compared to Amish patients who survived.Results: There were 1827 Amish trauma patients during the study period and, of these, 32 (1.75%) were mortalities. The top 3 mechanisms of injury leading to mortality were falls (34.4%), pedestrian struck (21.9%), and farming accidents (15.6%). Pediatric (age ≤ 14y) (25%) and geriatric (age ≥ 65y) (28.1%) had the highest percentage of mortalities. Mortalities in the Amish population were significantly older (mean age: 39 years vs 27 years, P = .003) and had significantly higher ISS (mean ISS: 29 vs 10, P < .001) compared to Amish patients who survived.Discussion: The majority of mortalities occurred in the pediatric and geriatric age groups and were falls. Further intervention and outreach in the Amish population should be done to highlight this particular cause of mortality.Level Of Evidence: Level III, epidemiological. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Drivers of on-farm safety behaviors were assessed. • Role of worker's age, safety training, history of accidents was considered. • Training and age showed a positive association with perceived behavioral control. • History of accidents showed a negative association with behavioral control. • Targeted training interventions and mentoring activities could be developed. •. Introduction: Occupational safety and health (OSH) have a remarkable impact on the sustainability of firms and organizations. However, the sustainability perspective has often focused primarily on environmental and economic concerns, leaving key social and workplace aspects, such as OSH, underemphasized. The link between all these aspects is particularly relevant in agriculture. Method: In the present study we analyzed the paths by which the worker's age, participation in safety training, and previous history of accidents and near misses can influence the adoption of safety behaviors in agriculture through the mediation of attitudes towards safety and perceived behavioral control. Three hundred and ten Italian agricultural operators were administered an ad-hoc questionnaire. Results: Having attended safety training courses, having been exposed to previous accidents and near misses, and age showed a positive association with the adoption of on-farm safety behaviors, through the mediation of perceived behavioral control. In more detail, participation in training courses and age showed a positive association with perceived behavioral control, while the previous history of accidents and near misses showed a negative association with behavioral control. In turn, perceived behavioral control was positively associated with the adoption of safety behaviors. Conclusions: The present study focused on the chain of events leading to the adoption of on-farm safety behaviors, which can prevent an accidents, pointing out the more critical variables and the level at which they intervene, identifying possible areas of targeted interventions. Practical applications: Implications for the development of targeted interventions may deal with: (a) training activities increasing farm operators' sense of control over their safety, (b) older farmers involvement in mentoring initiatives, and (c) systematic recording and use of previous history of accidents and near misses as inputs for training activities to discuss their implications for on-farm safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have discussed the increasing number of accidents caused by agricultural machinery and tractors, specifically on higher-class roads. High-quality traffic signage with the required retroreflection can prevent these serious accidents, especially under reduced visibility conditions. The retroreflective materials are divided into three classes: RA1, RA2 and RA3 according to their optical performance. This distribution apparently turned out to be insufficient, as significantly different optical materials may be assigned to the same class. This research focused on the detailed optical resolution of retroreflecting sheeting with the aim to support enhancement of the current standards. The coefficient of retroreflection (CR) was measured under standard requirements. It was concluded that the combination of 3M 3930 sheeting (CR = 7.81) and 3M 4090 (CR = 9.03) sheeting is not recommended, as the difference between these values and the other monitored samples is significantly higher than CR = 2. Especially with the introduction of autonomous mobility, the recognition of signs will also have fundamental effects on agricultural technologies, where elements of independent mobility will be gradually introduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hand tractors are important machines used in the soil preparation process before sowing rice in the paddy's of Thailand. Previous research on injuries in rice farming indicated that working with a hand tractor may be one of main causes of injuries. This study investigated the prevalence of hand tractor-related injuries, their association risk factors and characteristic of injuries. The data were collected by face-to-face interview to 377 farmers from nearly all districts in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province. Among these rice farmers, the prevalence of injury was 41%. The most common type of injury was cuts (43.9%) and the most common source of injuries was stepping on a golden apple snail shell (33.1%). The bivariate Poisson regression models showed that self-reported normal working conditions that were associated with the risk of injury included sleeping problems (RR = 1.39), "Hustle Work (working quickly to complete plowing)" (RR = 1.48), feeling fatigue before work (RR = 1.60), and normal use of a leveler as attached plow equipment (RR = 1.41). However, a multivariate model showed only normal use of a leveler as attached equipment was associated with an increased use of injuries (RR = 1.47) after controlling for the other factors that were significant in the bivariate models. These results suggest that job stress protection should be recommended or redesign of the leveler attachment developed for hand tractors used in rice paddy fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural injury data have shown that grain bin hazards cause many injuries and fatalities every year. To develop effective safety measures, it is necessary to understand farmers’ perceptions of grain bin entry hazards. This survey study was developed and performed to determine farmers’ perceptions of the hazards associated with grain bin entry. The survey was administered both online and at face-to-face agricultural safety events. A total of 162 participants completed surveys, with the majority in New York and Pennsylvania. Most participants were concerned about being injured (77%) or killed (66%) when entering a grain bin. Seventy percent of the participants indicated that they had entered a grain bin alone without an observer, and 60% indicated that they had no written emergency response plan. The participants perceived safety equipment (e.g., gas monitors, lifeline and harness systems, anchor points, respirators, and grain rescue tubes) as valuable, and they were mostly familiar with some of these devices. The participants reported a need for training and short educational videos related to safe grain bin entry. Recommendations for safe grain bin entry should focus on entering bins with an observer present and using lifeline and harness systems, gas monitors, and respirators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonresponse bias in a survey can result in misleading estimates of agricultural injuries and can misdirect prevention efforts aimed at reducing the burden of injuries on farmers. Responders (n = 2,977) and nonresponders (n = 13,849) were compared based on demographics and agricultural production characteristics to identify underrepresented subgroups. Injury characteristics were compared between early (n = 1,667) and late (n = 1,309) responders. Methods accounted for correlated data, sample size inflation of p-values, and assessment of meaningful differences. Few differences were identified between responders and nonresponders. Responders differed from nonresponders by state of residence, and responders were more likely to be married. Other characteristics (age, gender, education, farm size, crops grown, animals raised) were similar across groups. Early responders reported more injuries and more often sought medical care for an injury than late responders. The differences identified between responders and nonresponders were minimal and not likely to create bias. Differential reporting of injury and injury severity between early and late responders is worthy of further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Indian agrarian economy is facing a distress situation on account of mounting farmer suicides year after year. This is a serious socioeconomic issue as it affects not only the farmers but also their families. A staggering number of farmer suicides have been reported, particularly in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and West Bengal. This has aggravated the Indian agricultural sector that is already battling problems such as under-performance, low production, and low vigour for a long time now. In October this year, India Today reported that over 15,000 farmers has committed suicide in Maharashtra in a span of 6 years from 2013 to 2018. This is the just one instance of the reporting on farmers suicide over the past few years. These suicides have posed a big question mark on the Indian economy, ranked seventh in terms of nominal GDP by the IMF Economic Forum in 2018. On the one side, the Indian economy is on its way to becoming the 5th largest economy of the world by surpassing United Kingdom and France in 2019. On the other side, its farm sector is facing distress deaths and massive despair. The present paper, therefore, makes an attempt to investigate these incidents and uncover the causal variables leading to this epidemic that is rapidly spreading to the entire country. The paper is divided under four sections. Section I provides an introduction to farmer suicides in India. In addition, the objectives and methodology of the paper have been discussed. In Section II, an attempt has been made to highlight the gravity of this issue which is hampering the health of Rural Indian Economy. A factsheet has been prepared that enumerates the facts and figures related to this issue. Further, in Section III, an extensive review of research work on farmer suicides has been done in order to describe the critical causal variables. For this purpose, the literature and figures from 1995 to 2021 have been considered. The paper ends with Section IV where concluding remarks have been mentioned along with some suggestive measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thailand's agriculture is facing an ageing workforce, which could negatively influence agricultural production. Yet, there is still limited evidence regarding the perception of the ageing agricultural labour force in the country and a lack of insights into farmers' strategies to improve agricultural output. To fill this gap, we analysed primary data from questionnaire-based surveys of 365 households in Prachinburi Province, Thailand. The results show that household poverty, farm experience, retirement, health concerns, and farm accidents are positively associated with the farmers' perception on the ageing workforce, whereas education level, having an ageing farmer in the family, farm size, mentoring and access to new technology have a negative influence on the perception of the ageing workforce. Given the anticipated implications of the population ageing in Thailand, the government should consider establishing policy options to encourage younger entrants into the agricultural sector and prioritising policies related to intergenerational support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the metallurgical processes, due to the amount and meaning of the workplace safety threats, there is a necessity of implementing the steps connected with their elimination or limitation. Undertaking the steps should be based on the identified legal requirements and the risk refraining from lack of the compliance. The most meaningful, within the mentioned scope, are the requirements concerning design, construction and use of the machines. The aim of the presented study was identification of the essential requirements stated to the machines’ manufacturers, minimal requirements dedicated to the work equipment’ users. One has pointed the potential risk of lack of compliance and described the ways of taking up such a risk depending on the identified legal requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Tyragetia is the property of National Museum of History of Moldova and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

• Operational conditions predict injury more than individual characteristics. • Workplace design and type of production are the most important injury risk factors. • The results show that a favorable safety climate moderates injury risk. • Future studies need to address subgroups of farmers and exposure time. • Awareness is needed regards system factors and the farmer's managerial role. Introduction: This study addressed relative injury risk among Norwegian farmers, who are mostly self-employed and run small farm enterprises. The aim was to explore the relative importance of individual, enterprise, and work environment risks for occupational injury and to discuss the latent conditions for injuries using sociotechnical system theory. Method: Injury report and risk factors were collected through a survey among Norwegian farm owners in November 2012. The response rate was 40% (n = 2,967). Annual work hours were used to calculate injury rates within groups. Poisson regression using the log of hours worked as the offset variable allowed for the modeling of adjusted rate ratios for variables predictive of injury risk. Finally, safety climate measures were introduced to assess potential moderating effects on risk. Results: Results showed that the most important risk factors for injuries were the design of the workplace, type of production, and off-farm work hours. The main results remained unchanged when adding safety climate measures, but the measures moderated the injury risk for categories of predominant production and increased the risk for farmers working with family members and/or employees. An overall finding is how the risk factors were interrelated. Conclusions : The study identified large structural diversities within and between groups of farmers. The study drew attention to operating conditions rather than individual characteristics. The farmer's role (managerial responsibility) versus regulation and safety climate is important for discussions of injury risk. Practical Applications: We need to study sub-groups to understand how regulation and structural changes affect work conditions and management within different work systems, conditioned by production. It is important to encourage actors in the political-economic system to become involved in issues that were found to affect the safety of farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On March 11, 2011, the strongest earthquake ever recorded in Japan occurred, which triggered a powerful tsunami and caused a nuclear accident in Fukushima nuclear plant. The latter was a "manmade" disaster having immense impacts on people's life, health, and property, infrastructure, supply chains, economy, policies, natural and institutional environment, etc. This paper presents a work in progress and assesses the preparedness for and agri-food impacts of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, identifies challenges in post-disaster recovery, and draws lessons for improving disaster risk management. Japan was not well prepared for such a huge disaster, and the agri-food sector and consumption have been among the worst-hit areas. It is important to learn from past experiences, prepare for multiple disasters, and make sure that "lessons learned" are not forgotten. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and objective. Agricultural accidents often result in spinal injuries, particularly in fractures of the thoracolumbar spine. Surgical treatment of thoraco-lumbar fractures continues to comprise a major medical problem. The aim of this study was to assess and compare the long-term effects of surgical treatments of thoracic and lumbar spinal fractures treated with transpedicular stabilization, combined with posterior interbody spinal fusion (PLIF, also known as spondylodesis) or Daniaux reconstruction. Materials and method. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 66 patients with a thoracic or lumbar spinal fracture (Th10-L3) type A in the AO classification system, operated in 2000-2005. All patients underwent a short segment transpedicular stabilization, which in 36 patients was combined with posterior interbody spinal fusion, and in 30 other patients combined with Daniaux reconstruction. Radiological assessment was performed based on X-ray imaging. A lateral X-ray image of the spine was used to measure the vertebral wedging angle of the fractured vertebrae, the height ratio of the anterior to posterior vertebral body, and the angle of segmental kyphotic deformation. Subjective long-term assessment of the patient was conducted using the Oswestry Instability Score. The results were analyzed for statistical significance. Results. In both groups, similar improvements in all measured parameters were observed. Despite all patients losing some of the correction in the long-term, this loss was significantly smaller following Daniaux reconstruction. Conclusions. Spinal stabilization combined with vertebral reconstruction allows for long-term and improved treatment results for thoraco-lumbar fracture than posterior interbody spinal fusion (spondylodesis). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Agro-Environment Science is the property of Journal of Agro-Environment Science Editorial Board and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Hoisting machinery as a material handling equipment, widely used in the national economy departments, in the national "safe, efficient, green and harmonious" under the application requirements, to improve the intrinsically safe hoisting machinery, a complex system, in this paper, the affecting the safe operation of the hoisting machinery hazards, summary and analysis based on the intrinsic safety theory and correlation analysis method, on the nature of the hoisting machinery safety assessment model is established. The theory of information entropy and fuzzy mathematics, the safety evaluation method of hoisting machinery based on neural network is studied. Through summarizing the hazard factor of hoisting machinery, lifting machinery design, manufacture, installation, alteration, use, and management and so on, this paper analyzes advantages and disadvantages of commonly used safety assessment or prediction method, based on the "human–environment" of safety evaluation of ideas, will influence of lifting machinery into the ontology equipment hazards, organizational security hazards, essence of safety culture and emergency fault handling of hazards. In the paper, two neural networks are used to predict the failure rate, and the accuracy of the two methods is compared. Firstly, BP neural network is optimized by genetic algorithm for prediction. BP neural network optimized by genetic algorithm is the most widely used neural network for prediction. Secondly, Elman neural network is used for prediction. Two neural networks are used to predict the failure rate, study the structural weight of neural network, obtain the prediction result graph and prediction error graph of neural network, and analyze the results, so as to judge the availability of using neural network method to predict the failure rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One aspect of a successful dairy business is attracting and retaining skilled staff. The ability to do this is influenced by workplace attractiveness, one aspect of which is worker comfort and safety. Working with heavy machinery and animals makes dairy farming a dangerous occupation relative to many other sectors. Milking is the most time-consuming task on pasture-based dairy farms, and the parlor is the logical site of a number of injuries, although little is known about their causes or their relationship to parlor design and management. To investigate worker safety further, we conducted an on-farm survey on New Zealand dairy farms between December 2018 and March 2019. The survey had 3 objectives: to identify common causes of injuries relating to milking; to describe variations in milking parlor design and management practices on dairy farms; and to identify management and parlor factors that contribute to milking injuries. Analysis of accident compensation data from the state-run accident insurer for a 5-yr period from July 2013 to June 2018 was a fourth objective. Accident claims identified as related to milking through a key word search averaged NZ$252 (NZ$1 was equivalent to US$0.60 on May 19, 2020) per claim for non-severe injuries and NZ$9,334 per claim for severe injuries, for a total of NZ$1.95 million per year. A total of 136 injuries were reported on 99 of the 560 farms surveyed, and accident insurance claims were made for 53 of these injuries. The survey found that 48% of injuries occurred while workers were attaching clusters: typically soft-tissue and fracture injuries to fingers, hands, wrists, and arms. Injuries to these body parts represented the greatest cost (51% of the annual insurance cost) and identified safe cluster attachment as an area of focus for reducing milking injuries. Potential low-cost solutions include improved cluster design and a hand–arm guard. We identified a clear seasonal trend that coincided with busy periods in a seasonal block calving system, suggesting that options to reduce fatigue in spring may be beneficial; however, the number of hours worked or number of consecutive days worked were not associated with the number of milking injuries. Those aged 20–29 yr had more injuries relative to their proportion of the workforce, indicating that more training may be beneficial (e.g., setting ergonomic milking routines). Female workers were at greater risk of injury than males; this finding may have been related to the height of the animal relative to the height of the milker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this article is the analysis of the specific technical properties of the agricultural machinery to prevent the ecological impacts on nature in case of a machine accident. The loss of stability and overturning of the machine is an important part of the farm safety code of practice document and the source of the ground contamination with fuel and no-bio lubricants. The main work is oriented to determine and derive the steps of prevention or prediction of dangerous states of the agricultural off-road vehicle operating on sloped ground and even applicable for heavy trucks. These steps are based on the experimental measurement of accelerations functions and implementing these into the mathematical model and following the European Union Regulations. The recommended simulation and obtained results can tell the engineers in the design process of the prototype how to accurate the technical parameters to keep the machine in a safe state while the machine is under acting the dynamic loads. Optimization of specific dimensions in the process of design can help to improve the ecological safety of the agricultural machines operating on sloped ground. Some theoretical methods are based on the Slovak National Standard STN 47 0170. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four distinct parenting styles have been described: authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and uninvolved. Parenting styles have been associated with a myriad of child safety and health outcomes. However, the association between parenting style and child agricultural injury has not been explored. This study was conducted among farm parents in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania using a self-administered paper questionnaire. Parents responded to items inquiring about parenting styles, previous child agricultural injuries, personal demographics, and farm characteristics. A total of 238 farm parents responded to the survey. Over a third of respondents (34.3%) reported a child agricultural injury. About 41% of parents were classified as authoritative (demonstrating a high level of involvement and control), 35.7% as uninvolved, 13.3% as permissive, and 10% as authoritarian. In the univariable analyses of parenting style, notable elevations in child injury rates occurred for the authoritarian (RR = 1.96, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.08 to 3.58, p = 0.0274) and uninvolved (RR = 1.58, 95% CI 1.00 to 2.50, p = 0.0506) categories as compared to the referent category of authoritative. In the multivariable analyses that were adjusted for confounding variables, the magnitude of the corresponding RR estimates were less dramatic, although a 69% elevation was still present for the authoritarian parenting style (RR = 1.69, 95% CI 0.91 to 3.15, p = 0.0975). The results of this study contribute to the growing body of literature suggesting that authoritative parenting is protective against risk-taking behaviors in childhood as well as reducing potential injury among children. Clinicians and safety experts should consider parenting styles when developing child agricultural injury prevention resources or interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]