September 28, 2000
BIRMINGHAM, AL — Black farm workers are three times more likely to be hurt on the job than white or black farm owners, according to a recent study by researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Details of the study will appear in the October 1 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.
This is the first study of agriculture-related injuries to include a substantial number of black farm owners and the first to include black farm workers. Also, it is the first to follow a large group of farmers over time to assess the occurrence of injuries in real time as opposed to collecting information from historical data.
“Research on the epidemiology of agriculture-related injuries has largely ignored black farm owners and farm workers," says Gerald McGwin, Ph.D., assistant professor with the departments of epidemiology and surgery at UAB. “Findings show an increased frequency of injury among black farm workers and point to a number of possible ways to reduce injuries.”
The study, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was conducted between 1994 and 1998. It involved 1,246 farmers and farm workers — 685 white farmers, 321 black farmers and 240 black farm workers — in nine rural counties in Alabama and Mississippi. Together they reported more than five million hours of agriculture-related work and 140 injuries among 131 people — or more than 24 injuries per million farming hours.
The study found the rate of injury among black farm workers was more than three times that of white farm owners and more than two times that of black farm owners.
“And we know from another study we recently conducted that black farm workers are also more likely to suffer financially and personally as a result of being injured,” says McGwin.
Overall, researchers found black farm workers, part-time farmers, those with a prior agricultural injury and those who used poorly maintained machinery were at significantly higher risk for injury.
Findings did not indicate why black farm workers are at higher risk for injury. “It had been suggested that differences in injury rates could be attributed to differences in working conditions, such as type of farming, and demographic factors but this study shows elevated injury rates among black farm workers even after adjusting for these differences,” says McGwin.
“The reason for increased risk of injury among part-time farmers also remains a question,” says McGwin. “In regards to farmers who reported prior injuries, a possible explanation is that farmers experiencing prior injuries may work in more hazardous environments, take more risks or generally be less conscious of safety. If so, it suggests the time immediately following an injury is the time to reinforce the need to reduce these risks.”
The study found the more than 40 percent of injuries were related to machinery or equipment and approximately 15 percent of injuries were directly attributable to equipment failure. “The interpretation is clear,” says McGwin. “Equipment in poor condition requires more maintenance and repair and is more likely to fail during normal operation, placing operators and those around the equipment at risk.”
“Findings identify specific groups, such as black farm workers, and aspects of farming, such as machinery, that can serve as key targets for preventing farm injuries,” says McGwin.