title: The Hierarchy of Control in the Epidemic of Farm Injury.
abstract: The application of the hierarchy of control (HOC) is a well-established approach to hazard reduction in industrial workplaces. However, it has not been generally applied in farm workplaces. The objective was to determine current practices of farmers in the context of a modified HOC, and the effect of these practices on farm injury outcomes. A self-reported mail survey of 1196 Saskatchewan farm operations was conducted in 2013. Selected survey questions were used as proxy measures of the farm owner-operator's practices relevant to each of the six steps of increasing importance in a modified HOC: (1) hazard identification; (2) risk assessment; (3) personal protection; (4) administrative controls; (5) engineering controls; and (6) elimination of the hazard. Analysis used basic descriptive statistics and logistic regression to examine associations of interest. When four of the six HOC steps were adhered to, there was a significant protective effect: odds ratio (OR) = 0.32 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.14-0.74) for any injury and OR = 0.27 (95% CI: 0.07-0.99) for serious injury in the overall study population. For farm owner-operators utilizing four of the six steps in the modified HOC, there was a significant protective effect for any injury (OR = 0.30, 95% CI: 0.11-0.83). Although there is a considerable absence of use of elements of the HOC among farm operators, for farmers who adhere to these steps, there is a significant reduction in their risk for injury. Prevention strategies that embrace the practice of these principles may be effective in the control of farm workplace injury.
authors.affiliation: a Canadian Centre for Health and Safety in Agriculture , University of Saskatchewan , Saskatoon , Saskatchewan , Canada.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dosman
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hagel
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: Niels
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Koehncke
authors.forename: Shelley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kirychuk
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Trask
authors.forename: Joshua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Neudorf
authors.forename: Lesley
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Day
authors.forename: Donald
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Voaklander
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Pickett
mesh_terms: D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000382:Agricultural Workers' Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000383:Agriculture / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015331:Cohort Studies; D000072480:Farms / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012525:Saskatchewan / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017132:Workplace
keywords: farm; hierarchy of control; injury