There are no signs of a drop in the number of deaths in accidents while at farmwork, hovering around 400 a year. Furthermore, the fact remains that accurate data about those farm accidents are not fully grasped.This reality gave birth to a Special Study Team on the Prevention of Farmwork Accidents in the Japanese Association of Rural Medicine.To cast light on the actuality of farm work accidents, questionnaires on accidents caused by farm machinery and instruments were sent to three medical institutions affiliated with the Association from October 2002 to March 2004. As a result, clinical data were collected on 141 clinical cases. Moreover, studies were performed on five cases in which rescue squads were dispatched to give aid to the injured.The data thus collected on the clinical cases revealed that grass cutters, harvesters, riding and push-on-foot types of tractors, and straw cutters were responsible for many accidents. Some individuals were involved in the accidents as operators of grass cutters were unaware of their existence nearby because of noise from the machines, some dragged in by the harvesters or straw cutters, and some pinned under the tractors.Case studies on death-induced accidents suggested the indispensability of fitting a safety frame and a seat belt to the tractor and installing a cabin on the speed sprayer.For the prevention of accidents by farm machinery, it is important to hold lecture meetings more frequently both on the basic method of their use and on first aid.
Prevention ; Clinical ; Accidents ; Industrial machine, NOS ; Research