Search Site   
Current News Stories
Solar eclipse, new moon coming April 8
Mystery illness affecting dairy cattle in Texas Panhandle
Teach others to live sustainably
Gun safety begins early
Hard-cooked eggs recipes great for Easter, anytime
Michigan carrot producers to vote on program continuation
Suggestions to celebrate 50th wedding anniversary
USDA finalizes new ‘Product of the USA’ labeling rule 
U.S. weather outlooks currently favoring early planting season
Weaver Popcorn Hybrids expanding and moving to new facility
Role of women in agriculture changing Hoosier dairy farmer says
   
News Articles
Search News  
   
Purdue: Hoosier farm fatalities trending down, past 20 years
 


By SUSAN BLOWER
Indiana Correspondent

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — When Terre Haute cattle farmer Terry Hayhurst hopped onto his silage feeding cart in the fall of 2008, he was doing something he’d done many other times. This time, however, he was distracted by the cattle, which were displaying nervous behavior, and he was wearing his work boots.
He still doesn’t know what happened – whether his boot lace or his pants leg caught – but within a minute he was on the ground and his legs were being pulled and twisted by the PTO shaft, at a rate of 540 RPMs.
“My initial thoughts were ‘What can I do?’ There was nothing, no way to get out. It was wrapping my clothes tighter and tighter,” he said.
“Sometimes it’s the simplest things we do every day that can be the most dangerous, whether it’s the mower or hooking up trailers. A lot of times we don’t get caught doing something that doesn’t make sense. And we take it for granted.”
Hayhurst, a former president of Indiana Soybean Assoc., knows of similar accidents that have resulted in dismemberment or death. Lying on his back, trapped and twisted within seconds, he had no time to reach for his knife or his cell phone. At that moment, he believes he was given divine aid.
“The peace of God came down, descending from my head down. The next moment, the tractor died. That tractor had more horsepower than my body. It shouldn’t have died,” Hayhurst said.
Still, he did not walk away without injury. His leg was compressed so tightly by his clothes that his muscles were bruised, producing visible scarring for the next year and soreness in the leg to this day.
There is no way to compile farm injury data in Indiana or other states, but it is estimated 1 in 9 Hoosier farms experiences injuries requiring medical treatment, said Bill Field, Purdue University extension safety specialist. What is known, because of zealous effort by Purdue staff, is that farm fatalities in Indiana are trending down, especially over the last two decades.
In Indiana, 18 farm-related deaths were recorded in 2013, down from 26 the previous year and continuing a trend of fewer fatal accidents on the farm, a new Purdue report shows. The number of fatalities shows an erratic up-and-down movement from year to year, but what is significant is the downward trend line since 1970, when the annual report was first started, said Field, co-author of the report.
The 2013 summary of data indicates since 1996 there have been fewer than 30 documented deaths per year – and before that, many more deaths per annum, with two years having at least 50 deaths.
The report points to many factors in the declining death rate, including the decreasing number of farmers, safer technology and fewer children involved in hazardous work. Advancements in medical care have also contributed to fewer fatalities in accidents.
“We also have changing expectations as a farm culture. We expect to not see high fatalities, just as we want our cars to be safer and our chain saws to be quieter. We wouldn’t do the things we used to do,” Field explained.
That change in expectations has especially altered the way youths are employed on the farm, Field said. The authors noted a “drastic decline” in the number of young people reported as dying in ag workplaces, with only three reported deaths in the past three years, the lowest number in a three-year period since 1994.
Historically, farmers over the age of 60 and youths under the age of 21 have disproportionately been the victims of fatal accidents. The ages of victims in 2013 ranged from 15-78; all were male. Only one Hoosier youth, age 15, was reported to be killed in 2013, due to an overturned tractor.
“Achieving zero incidents may be an unrealistic goal, but the record clearly shows that something is working and that many tragic incidents have been prevented, during the same time as many Indiana farmers have become more productive and efficient than at any time in history,” wrote Field and co-author, Yuan-Hsin Cheng, ag and biological engineering graduate research assistant.
Overturned tractors
The single biggest killer on Indiana farms is overturned tractors, Field said. He expects that number to continue to go down as older tractors built without rollover protection fall out of use.
“All U.S. tractors built after 1985 have rollover protection as a standard feature. Some people take them off to fit inside small barns. Many still use the old tractors to mow ditch banks and for other uses,” Field said.
For the past two decades, tractor-related incidents accounted for 205 deaths, 46 percent of the total number. After tractor upsets, the most frequent fatal accident continues to be falling from a tractor and being run over. In addition, 56 percent of those killed overall were over the age of 60.
Field wants more farmers to be aware of the safety hazards of their profession. The Department of Labor considers farming the most dangerous profession in Indiana.
Hayhurst said he has altered some of his habits as a result of his accident. Now, he steps onto the silage cart further from the PTO shaft, and he preaches safety in the field to farmhands and at home to his wife and daughters.
“I’m 53, and my response time and coordination is not as quick as it used to be, but I hope I’m smarter,” he noted.
The fatalities count was compiled by the Purdue University Agricultural Safety and Health program, using a variety of sources, including news reports, Web searches, voluntary reports and personal interviews. The complete report can be viewed at www.farmsafety.org
Because there is no requirement to consistently report accidents, the reports may not be comprehensive, the authors said. Accidents were documented in the following counties in 2013 (one unless otherwise noted): Bartholomew (2), Dearborn, Dubois, Elkhart, Fountain, Franklin, Fulton, Hancock, Hendricks, Howard, Kosciusko, Lake, LaPorte (2), Lawrence, Marshall and Posey.
10/9/2014