FACTORS AFFECTING ACCIDENT CAUSATION IN AGRICULTURAL MACHINE OPERATIONS

• Published in: Journal of Human Ergology Vol. 2; no. 2; pp. 143 - 157
• Main Author: INOUE, Kazue
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan Human Ergology Society 1973
• Subjects: Accidents, Occupational; Adult; Agriculture; Evaluation Studies as Topic; Female; Humans; Japan; Male; Occupational Medicine; Seasons; Sex Factors; Workers' Compensation; Japan
• ISSN: 0300-8134; 1884-3964
• DOI: 10.11183/jhe1972.2.143

Protocols of accidents compensated by the Endowment Assurance by the Agricultural Cooperative Insurance Business during the two fiscal years of 1970-71 in Saitama Prefecture were investigated. Sixty-five accidental injuries due to agricultural work were registered during the period, 6 being fatal. Thirty-four detailed replies were then gathered by enquete method. Injuries occurred most frequently during harvesting (42%), tilling (23%), and transportation (11%). Both full-time and part-time farmers engaged as the main workers of their families were involved in accidents, more than 60% occurring among elderly farmers above 40 years of age. Most accidents occurred in the busy farming seasons of late spring-July and of October-November. Fifty-nine percent of the 34 enquete-replying cases pointed to circumstances leading to haste on the day of the injury, 41% of these mentioning schedule delays by bad weather on the foregoing days as a reason. This factor was associated with both outdoor and indoor injuries. This kind of pressure forced by schedule delays proved to be particularly significant for accidents during harvest work, all but one of the eleven harvest accidents due to schedule delays being finger losses caused by combines, threshers, or reaping machines. A greater part of agricultural accidents are thus suggested to be closely related to the seasonal usage patterns of agricultural machines.