Safety and animal handling practices among women dairy operators

v2011o

Occupational injuries and diseases among commercial fishers in Finland 1996-2015

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Occupational injuries and diseases among commercial fishers in Finland 1996–2015

Background: Commercial fishing is recognised as one of the most hazardous professions worldwide. In Finland, commercial fishing has some special characteristics, including fishing on ice during frozen waters, and pluriactivity of the fisher family to gain additional income. The goal of this study was to describe injury characteristics among commercial fishers in Finland during the years 1996–2015. With this information, we wish to promote creation of effective safety campaigns and interventions. Materials and methods: The data for this study was acquired from The Farmers’ Social Insurance Institution, who handles the mandatory pension and occupational injury insurance of Finnish commercial fishers. Descriptive statistics was used to categorise and analyse the data that comprised the anonymized insurance history of 1954 insured fishers and reports on 1135 compensated injuries, 11 fatalities, and 53 occupational disease cases. Results: The results show, that the injury rate of Finnish commercial fishers is high. Forty per cent of the fishing-related injuries occur aboard or when entering or leaving the vessel, while 37% happened ashore, and 11% on sea or lake ice. The most common type of incident is preceded by a slip, trip, or sway followed by a fall to lower level. The injuries result in a median disability length of 21 days. An elevated risk for Finnish (vs. Swedish) speaking, as well as for male fishers was found. The occupational diseases of the studied population were for the most part results of manual, repetitive and/or physically straining work due to e.g. hauling in fishing equipment. Due to small numbers and lack of case data, it is not possible to make any further analysis of the 11 fatalities, which were all drownings. Conclusions: Based on our findings, injury prevention should be targeted, besides preventing fatalities because of drowning, at mitigating the risks for slips, trips, and falls both aboard and ashore

Predictors for occupational injuries and diseases among commercial fishers in Finland 1996–2015

Fishing is a hazardous occupation worldwide. Commercial fishers in Finland are an aging and diminishing population with a high injury rate. Insurance claims data for self-employed Finnish commercial fishers during the years 1996 through 2015 (n = 1951) were analysed to assess predictors for occupational injuries and diseases. Out of the available variables, fishery location, career length, and participation in the voluntary occupational health service programme were not significant predictors. Male gender (OR 2.02; 95% CI 1.37–2.99), Finnish mother tongue vs. Swedish (OR 1.98, 95% CI 1.53–2.55), and higher income levels from fishing (four income categories, OR range: 1.71–3.53) were associated with higher odds for a compensated occupational injury or disease claim among commercial fishers in the final multivariate model. The identified risk groups could be targeted for interventions, and the content of the occupational health service programme should be developed to gain protective effect

Occupational injury and disease incidence and risk factors in Finnish agriculture based on 5-year insurance records

The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to evaluate the incidence of and risk factors for compensated occupational injuries and diseases in agriculture. The study population consisted of 78,679 Finnish farmers, spouses, and salaried family members covered by mandatory workers' compensation insurance. This population had a total of 24,424 occupational injuries and 1684 diseases from 2000 to 2004. In the 5-year period, 20.2% of the population had (one or more) injuries and 2.0% had occupational diseases. Multiple claims were common particularly among livestock producers. Using Poisson regression analyses, we identified several personal and farm-related risk factors, with relative risk estimates ranging from 1.07 to 3.08 for injuries and from 1.45 to 3.01 for diseases. Cattle-intensive geographic regions, occupational health service membership, large farm size, and farming alone were identified as risk factors for both outcomes. Further, male gender, higher number of insurance years, and residing on the farm were among risk factors for injury. These risk factors identified from a large longitudinal data set can be considered for developing and targeting interventions for farmers at highest risk of occupational injury and disease.v2013o

Work ability index among Finnish dairy farmers

v2009o

Lack of Agreement between Safety Priorities and Practices in Agricultural Operators: A Challenge for Injury Prevention

Despite training and prevention programs, injury rates in agriculture remain high, and safety compliance is a challenge. Our aim was to compare farm operators’ reported safety priorities to related behaviors. Surveys were mailed to 1600 agricultural operators; 326 returned complete data. We asked respondents about their safety priorities and practices related to machinery, chemicals, and structures. Kappa statistics, factor analysis, structural equation modeling, and profile analysis were used to understand how practices and priorities were related. Agreement between priorities and practices was low to moderate with high variability. Most discrepancies between the two were found in storing pesticides safely, keeping safety data sheets, using personal protective equipment, grain bin entry, and ladder safety. Machinery questions formed consistent constructs for practices and priorities, where practices predicted priorities more strongly than priorities predicted practices. Younger operators were less frequently exercising safe behaviors compared to older operators. Three safety compliance groups were identified: low compliance (15% of respondents), moderate (61%), and high (24%). Overall, operators reported that safety was a high priority, but their practices suggested otherwise. The promotion of safety culture has been suggested as an underutilized means in agriculture to address the complex issues that lead to unsafe practices, regardless of whether they are tied to limited resources, work organization, working environments, machinery, work habits, or general attention to safety. Effective new ways focusing on operator motivation are needed to bridge the gap between safety priorities and practices

Characteristics and costs of disability pensions in Finnish agriculture based on 5-year insurance records

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Työsuojelun vaikuttavuutta estävät ja edistävät tekijät maatiloilla

Useiden tutkimusten mukaan maataloustöissä sattuu edelleen paljon tapaturmia. Tapaturmamäärien vähentämiseksi maatalouteen on kohdistettu monia interventioita eli toimenpiteitä, joilla pyritään vaikuttamaan yksilöiden ja ryhmien terveydentilaan ja käyttäytymiseen. Tutkimukset, joissa on käyty systemaattisesti läpi interventiotutkimusten tuloksia, ovat todenneet, että interventioiden tehokkuudesta tapaturmien vähentämisessä on varsin vähän näyttöä.Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli löytää tekijöitä, jotka estävät työturvallisuuden kehittymistä ja huomioon ottoa - sekä toisaalta katalysaattoreita, jotka edistävät turvallisten toimintatapojen ja ratkaisujen yleistymistä ja käyttöönottoa maatiloilla. Erityisesti keskityttiin koneiden ja rakennusten huolto- ja korjaustöiden turvallisuuteen. Tutkimuksessa on viitekehykseksi luotu käsitemalli työturvallisuusinterventioiden komponenteista ja maatilakontekstista. Datankeruussa käytettiin luotainmenetelmää ja haastatteluja. Luotain-menetelmä on otettu yleisesti käyttöön käyttäjätutkimuksissa ja se perustuu koehenkilöiden itsedokumentointeihin.Tulosten mukaan tiloilla on tunnistettavissa runsaasti erilaisia työturvallisuuskehitystä estäviä tai hidastavia tekijöitä sekä jonkin verran myös työturvallisuutta edistäviä tekijöitä. Hidastavat tekijät liittyivät muun muassa suunnittelun tai toteutuksen monimutkaisuuteen, prioriteetteihin, asenteisiin, työtapoihin, ammattitaitovaatimuksiin, kone- ja rakennuskannan hitaaseen uusiutumiseen sekä pysyviksi muodostuneisiin, ”väliaikaisiin” ratkaisuihin. Edistävät tekijät liittyivät muun muassa sopivaan viestintäkanavaan, vahinkotilanteiden tuomaan valppauteen, opiskelussa saatuihin viesteihin, vastuuseen muista työntekijöistä, harrastustoiminnassa opittuihin taitoihin, uusien koneiden ja laitteiden tuomaan inspiraatioon, riittävään työvoimaan tilalla ja henkiseen valmentautumiseen mahdollisten vahinkotilanteiden varalta. Tulokset tulevat tukemaan jatkossa työsuojeluinterventioiden suunnittelua ja muotoilua

Finland: Occupational accidents and safety work in the Finnish fishery - Developments and preventive measures

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