Conferences
Cost of Agricultural Injuries in the United States: Estimates Based on Surveillance, Insurance and Government Statistics
Suraj Adhikari and Risto Rautiainen
Summary
The surveillance study quantified the frequency and cost of occupational injuries to farmers and ranchers in the central United States, and used insurance and government statistics to provide national agricultural injury cost estimates. Surveillance data for 2018 and 2020 included 5,476 operations, 7,195 operators, and 5,975 full time equivalent (FTE) operators. A total of 1,207 injuries were reported by 973 operators; 688 injuries required medical care, and 403 required more than one day away from work (DAFW). The annual injury rate was 15.3 injuries per 100 operators, or 6.7 DAFW injuries per 100 FTE. The average costs per injury were: $10,878 for medical care, $1,301 for lost work time, and $12,179 in total per injury case. The average reported annual injury cost burden was $1,497 per operator, or $2,954 per operator when the estimated costs for long-term disabilities, recurring injury cases, and fatalities were included. Transferred to the national level, and adding the estimated cost of injuries to hired agricultural workers, the estimated annual injury costs in agriculture ranged from $6.8 billion to $9.3 billion. Injuries result in significant economic losses to farm and ranch operators, their family members, workers, and society. Preventive efforts should be scaled up to reduce the frequency and costs of injuries in agriculture.
Details
| Conference | 2022 Extension Risk Management Education National Conference |
| Presentation Type | Poster |