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Thirty fatalities related to farm work or work site hazards occurred in Wisconsin in 2005, compared to 25 fatalities in 2004 and 37 in 2003. Wisconsin has averaged 29 such fatalities per year over the past five years.
The 2005 Wisconsin farm fatality rate (number of fatalities per 100,000 workers) was 45, based on an estimated average of 66,843 workers in production agriculture in Wisconsin in 2005 (including farm operators, unpaid family labor, and hired workers, but excluding service workers hired through agricultural labor contractors). This compares to rates of 35 and 48 for 2004 and 2003, respectively. (Note: Number of workers in 2005 based on linear regression of 1996-2001 totals reported by National Agricultural Statistics Service, which no longer collects such data.)
Fatalities |
2005 | 2004 | 2003 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number | 30 | 25 |
37 |
| Rate* | 45 | 35 | 48 |
According to the National Safety Council, agriculture is consistently one of
the three most
hazardous industries in the U.S. (along with mining and construction), with
an estimated 642 work deaths in 2004 and a fatality rate of 29.2 deaths per
100,000 workers. This compares with 4952 fatalities for all U.S. industries
combined, with a death rate of 3.5 per
100,000.
Farm-related fatalities are defined as unintentional deaths resulting from
injury or environmental factors involving farm work or hazards of the farm work
site. Fatalities resulting from heart attacks, recreational activities, home-related
activities, or most motor vehicle injuries, are not included in this definition.
Farm tractors were involved in sixteen (53%) of the 30 fatalities. Other farm machines were also involved in three (10%) fatalities. Animals were also involved in four (13%) fatalities. Falls accounted for three (10%) fatalities. Confi ned space (grain bin and feed bin) accounted for two (7%) fatalities. Trucks/vehicles accounted for one (3%) fatality. The remaining one (3%) fatality resulted from a victim being pinned under a large round hay bale.
| Fatalities | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tractors | 16 | 7 | 10 |
| Farm Machines | 3 | 5 | 12 |
| Confined Spaces | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Falls | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Animals | 4 | 7 | 5 |
| Trucks/Vehicles | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Total | 30 | 25 | 37 |
Farm tractors were involved in sixteen farm fatalities in 2005, compared with seven in 2004 and ten in 2003. Tractor rollovers (overturns) accounted for eight (50%) of the tractor fatalities. Runovers/falls (being run over by the tractor, and/or falling from it) accounted for fi ve (31%) of the tractor fatalities. Other tractor fatalities included three (19%) fatalities from being pinned by a tractor.
Tractor |
2005 | 2004 | 2003 |
|---|---|---|---|
Rollovers |
8 | 6 | 5 |
Runovers/Falls |
5 | 1 | 4 |
Other |
3 | 0 | 1 |
Total |
16 | 7 | 10 |
Farm machines other than tractors were involved in three fatalities in 2005, compared with fi ve in 2004 and twelve in 2003. Two fatalities involved skid steers and the other fatality involved a barn cleaner.
Machines |
2005 | 2004 | 2003 |
|---|---|---|---|
Entanglement |
0 | 1 | 2 |
Pinned |
2 | 0 | 4 |
Runovers |
0 | 1 | 2 |
Other |
1 | 3 | 4 |
Total |
3 | 5 | 12 |
Animals were involved with four fatalities. One victim was attacked by a bull on pasture. One victim was trampled by a cow and struck his head. Feeder cattle were involved with one fatality and the other fatality indicated herding cattle and an animal fell on the victim.
In 2005, farm-related fatalities were reported in 24 counties. One county had three fatalities, four counties had two fatalities and twenty counties had one fatality.
| Burnett | 2 | La Crosse | 2 |
| Chippewa | 1 | Lafayette | 1 |
| Clark | 1 | Manitowoc | 1 |
| Crawford | 1 | Milwaukee | 1 |
| Dane | 1 | Oconto | 1 |
| Dunn | 1 | Racine | 1 |
| Grant | 2 | Richland | 1 |
| Green | 1 | Sauk | 1 |
| Iowa | 1 | Taylor | 1 |
| Juneau | 1 | Vernon | 1 |
| Kenosha | 1 | Waupaca | 3 |
| Kewaunee | 2 | Winnebago | 1 |
Five fatalities occurred in the month of July. August was the only month without a fatality. The distribution by month of occurrence is given below. (Month of occurrence is when the injury occurred; the victim may have died later.)
| January | 3 | July | 5 |
| February | 3 | August | 0 |
| March | 4 | September | 1 |
| April | 1 | October | 4 |
| May | 4 | November | 1 |
| June | 3 | December | 1 |
Twenty-seven of the victims were male and three were female. Two of the three female victims were youth.
Persons age 45-64 accounted for twenty-one (70%) of the victims. Persons age
65 and older accounted fi fteen (50%) of the victims. Youth under the age of
nine accounted for three (10%) of the victims. The following table gives the
age distribution using standard National
Safety Council age categories, with expanded categories below age 25.
Age |
Number | Percent |
|---|---|---|
0 - 4 |
1 | 3.0% |
5 - 9 |
2 | 7.0% |
10 - 14 |
0 | 0.0% |
15 - 19 |
0 | 0.0% |
| 20 - 24 | 2 | 7.0% |
| 25 - 44 | 3 | 10.0% |
45 - 64 |
7 | 23.0% |
65+ |
15 | 50.0% |
Total |
30 | 100.0% |
Clippings from Wisconsin daily and weekly newspapers; Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services, Bureau of Health Information death certificate registry; county coroners' and sheriffs' reports; National Agricultural Statistics Service Farm Labor Reports; and National Safety Council Injury Facts, 2005-06.
August 2007