Working in agriculture can be dangerous, with lots of hazardous equipment being operated, chemicals and pesticides being applied and exposure to environmental factors. In fact, Sheri Saskowski, the safety manager at Wyffels Hybrids, said, “Agriculture has one of the highest rates of work-related injuries and fatalities” in the world.

The National Safety Council reported that in 2022 alone, work-related injuries in the ag industry cost $167 billion and 108 million days of work lost.

AgriSafe recently hosted a webinar to educate ag workers about the dangers of the industry and how to stay safe on the job. Saskowski pointed out, “Injuries are expensive in many ways” and that the direct costs are “just the tip of the iceberg.”

Injuries in the workplace not only lead to medical expenses for the injured employee but the business has to pay for accident investigations as well as any corrective measures to be taken. It’s important to realize that “each injury costs something,” and the injured worker is entitled to compensation payments. Although insurance may cover these payments, the operation’s insurance will become more expensive in return.

Besides these up-front costs, Saskowksi mentioned there are “big costs that we don’t necessarily put a dollar amount on.” There may be a lack of morale in the other employees, leading to absenteeism from fear of getting hurt. The injured employee may struggle with physical pain and suffering, emotional strain, loss of identity and financial loss. After returning to work, the employee may suffer from PTSD and the fear of being re-injured, being treated unfairly or even losing their job if they can’t do it properly anymore.

Many accidents in the ag industry go unreported every year. Some are due to the injured employees’ fears of their boss or coworkers hearing about the incident and losing respect or even their job. A study done in 2014 found that 53% of hired crop workers were undocumented and reporting an accident could lead to being discovered.

This study also determined that agriculture has the highest share of self-employed workers in the U.S., with many being family businesses. OSHA guidelines state that “members of the immediate family of the farm employer are not regarded as employees” so they are technically not required to report any injuries.

Ag business owners and managers should stress the importance of reporting any injuries or potential hazards in the workplace. Management should work to create a safety culture, where workers are committed to maintaining a safe environment. A safety culture can be built through training programs and providing incentives for reporting. Saskowski said, “Everyone wants a reward for doing something positive.”

Incentive programs should encourage safety, not discourage reporting. Employees should be regularly reminded about the safety incentive program and involved in safety decisions for the farm. An example would be receiving a prize for reporting a potential hazard, providing a safety suggestion, completing safety training or maintaining a clean working area. Do not use an all-or-nothing approach or make one person’s reward reliant on another’s actions.

At the end of the day, not all injuries can be prevented but most can be with training and consistent monitoring. Reminding your staff about the importance of safety and training them to recognize and report hazards can save your operation thousands of dollars and boost morale and production.

For more information on OSHA’s ag safety requirements and access to training materials and resources, visit osha.gov/agricultural-operations.

by Kelsi Devolve