title: Injuries to farmers and farm families in a dairy state.
abstract: This study examined injuries among farmers and farm family treated at two rural Vermont hospitals. Most involved dairy farming and woodlot activities. Livestock accounted for 38% of injuries among dairy farmers. Other injuries involved a variety of events, including equipment repair and use, haying, chemicals and biologicals, falls, and contacts with fixed objects. Half of woodlot injuries involved chainsaws. On average, livestock-related injuries resulted in 21.5 days of disability for work during the first 6 months after injury, whereas those not involving livestock averaged 16.2 days of disability. On dairy farms 14% of farming injuries were to family members, and at least a third of all injuries to farm family members were work related. Insurance coverage for medical care was sparse for all rural persons treated for injury, especially for woodlot operators.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington 05405.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Waller
mesh_terms: D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003612:Dairying / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016468:Forestry / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007348:Insurance, Health; D014707:Vermont / Q000453:epidemiology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology*