Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Aug 21;18(16):8821.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph18168821.

Occupational Injuries among Latino/a Immigrant Cattle Feedyard Workers in the Central States Region of the United States

Athena K Ramos  1 , Suraj Adhikari  2 , Aaron M Yoder  2 , Risto H Rautiainen  2
Affiliations

Occupational Injuries among Latino/a Immigrant Cattle Feedyard Workers in the Central States Region of the United States

Athena K Ramos et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Agriculture is a dangerous industry with high rates of occupational injuries. Immigrants comprise the majority of the hired agricultural workforce in the United States, and these workers may be at a higher risk for job-related injuries. This study addressed the frequency, characteristics, and risk factors of occupational injuries among Latino immigrant cattle feedyard workers. Data were collected through structured interviews with Latino immigrant cattle feedyard workers in Kansas and Nebraska (n = 243; 90.9% male). Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used to identify risk factors for injury. Nearly three-fourths of participants (71.2%) reported having experienced one or more injuries in the past while working on a cattle feedyard. The most frequent types of reported injuries, including those not requiring medical care, were bruises/contusions (40%), cuts/lacerations (21%), and sprains/strains (12%). These injuries were mainly caused by animals/livestock (33%), chemicals (23%), falls (12%), and tools (9%). Significant risk factors for injury included male gender (OR 5.9), being over age 35 (OR 2.6), working on a large or an extra-large feedyard (OR 5.4), having 11 or more employees on the feedyard (OR 3.6), and working more than eight hours a day (OR 4.7). Having received safety training was also associated with greater risk of injury in a univariable model (OR 2.6). Cattle feedyard workers are at high risk for injury and require more effective preventive measures.

Keywords: Latino/Hispanic; agriculture; animal handling; feedlot; feedyard; immigrant workers; injury.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of feedyard workers by the number of different feedyard departments where they work.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Distribution of feedyard workers by the number of different types of safety training received.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. International Labour Organization [ILO] Agriculture: A Hazardous Work. [(accessed on 9 January 2021)]; Available online: https://www.ilo.org/safework/areasofwork/hazardous-work/WCMS_110188/lang....
    1. Merisalu E., Leppala J., Jakob M., Rautiainen R.H. Variation in Eurostat and national statistics of accidents in agriculture. Agron. Res. 2019;17:1969–1983. doi: 10.15159/AR.19.190. - DOI
    1. United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics Number and Rate of Fatal Work Injuries by Industry Sector. [(accessed on 7 January 2021)];2019 Available online: https://www.bls.gov/charts/census-of-fatal-occupational-injuries/number-....
    1. United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII), Summary Estimates Charts Package. [(accessed on 9 January 2021)];2019 Available online: https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcdnew.htm.
    1. United States Department of Agriculture [USDA], Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Beef Feedlot Industry Manual. [(accessed on 5 January 2020)];2011 Available online: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/emergency_management/downloads/....

Publication types