Farm Injury Related Deaths in Australia 2003-2006

Abstract

Background Agriculture remains a significant industry in Australia, however the potential for death and serious injury for those working, living or visiting farms is known to be high. Method This report draws on the available data from the National Coroners Information System for the period 2003-06. All closed coronial cases that have involved a non-intentional farm injury death are included in the assessment. Results There were a total of 326 non-intentional injury deaths on Australian farms from 2003-06. Major findings were: • Continued reduction in the overall number of deaths (mean 82 per year) • Continued reduction in the rates of death for farms (5.9 per 10,000 agricultural establishments) • Continued reduction in the rates of death for individuals working in agriculture (10.9 deaths per 100,000) • There was an even distribution between work related and non-work related deaths • Males accounted for 87% of all deaths • Tractors, quad bikes and farm utilities continue to be the leading cause of adult (> 15 years) deaths • Those older than 55 years accounted for 40% of all deaths • Children (< 15 years) accounted for 17% (n=55) of all deaths, with those under 5 years being involved in more than half the cases • Farm dams and other water bodies (n=25) continue to be the single largest cause of child (< 15 years) deaths • For children (<15 years), riding or being a passenger on a quad bike (n=7) is the second leading agent of injury death • Overall, 34% (n=19) of all child fatalities involved farm visitors. Conclusions Although further cases for the years 2005 and 2006 will be added to this data once the coroner has closed these cases, this is not expected to add dramatically to the case numbers. Hence, even with these additional cases, the steady improvements in industry performance in reducing death rates will be evident. This review has identified common agents of non-intentional injury death for both adults and children. Significantly, for all of these agents there are already well known and highly effective solutions that can be used to further reduce the burden of non-intentional injury. To continue and fast-track improvement in agriculture’s performance, there is a need to improve the adoption of health and safety systems and the evidence-based solutions that already exist. Future interventions should target these priority areas to allow for further significant reductions in farm related deaths.