Management as a risk factor for farm injuries

Abstract

The organizational injury theory focusing on management issues could provide new viewpoints on causes and prevention of injuries in agriculture. The objective of this study was to test whether the quality of farm management is associated with farm injuries. A cohort of 134 farms was used to examine the relationship between farm injuries and selected management, farm, and farm operator characteristics. The number of machines and musculoskeletal disorders were found to be risk factors for injuries (RR = 2.34, 95% CI 1.27-4.31, and RR = 1.75, 95% CI 1.14-2.69). Management quality (significant work delays) was associated with injuries (RR = 1.59, 95% CI 1.00-2.52) in univariable analysis but not in the multivariable model. Although the results for the association between injury and management quality were not conclusive, this line of research should be continued.