Key findings

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This study examines the relationship between the probability of suffering an agricultural injury and the characteristics of the farm and its operator.

Data from Canada's 2001 Census of Agriculture were used to identify factors that influence the probability that a farmer suffered a non-fatal injury from farm activities in the previous 12 months. The study is based on the weighted data of 274,797 farm operators. These data are described and analyzed using logistic regression and odds ratio analysis.

Only 3.5% of respondents stated they had suffered a farming-related injury during the twelve months preceding the census. This frequency is less than that observed in most existing studies. There may be several reasons why cases of farm injuries are not all counted. One such reason is that the recall period is twelve months. It should be noted that the census question does not allow a respondent to report more than one injury and only the injuries of operators responsible for the daily management of the farm are reported. Therefore, the study does not take into account the injuries of farm workers or individuals not responsible for the farm.

It appears that nearly two injuries in five are fractures (20.70%) or open wounds (19.79%). The majority of farm injuries (51.95%) are musculoskeletal (i.e. fractures, dislocations, sprains/strains, and back injuries).

The results show that men under 55 years of age who are the primary operator of the farm and who work fewer than 40 hours per week on the farm are more likely than others to sustain an injury. The quantity of some production units, such as beef cattle and area under cultivation, is positively related to the probability of injury, whereas the quantity of others, such as dairy cattle and hogs, has no significant effect. Farm receipts appear to be inversely related to the risk of injury.