Dairy farm expansions linked with more workplace injuries, research shows

Research has shown that expansions on dairy farms are linked to an increased risk of workplace injuries.

The data compiled by Teagasc, in partnership with the Farm Sustainability Data Network (FSDN), showed Irish dairy farms have a heightened farm workplace injury level.

The study also found that use of extension services and farm discussion group participation were not associated with injury occurrence.

According to the researchers, dairy farming is considered the most dangerous farm enterprise in Ireland with higher farm work related injury rates than any other agricultural sector.

Approximately 20% of dairy farms surveyed reported experiencing an injury, with primary farm operators accounting for 82% of these.

Farm accidents and expansions

The main types of injuries were related to livestock (39.2%) and farm vehicle/machinery (27.5%).

In terms of treatment, a significant majority (76.5%) were severe, resulting in hospital treatment and 27.7% suffered an injury resulting in a loss of 61 or more days of work.

The study indicates dairy production expansion has the potential to increase injury risk due to a change in workload relative to the labour available.

Injury levels were also associated with increased investment per hectare and it is probable that this investment was associated mainly with elements associated with increasing economic production including land, cows, milking facilities, and cow housing.

This may have led to an overall increased workload per worker.

The researchers suggested that, in Ireland, to minimise dairy farm injuries, workload needs to be managed and increased uptake of labour-saving and safety-related technologies and practices is required.

Research

The research paper, Data Driven Identification of Injury Risk Factors During Expansion on Irish Dairy Farms, was published by John McNamara, Mohammad Mohammadrezae, Brian Moran and Emma Dillon.

Data for this study was obtained via the Irish National Farm Survey (NFS), with 260 principal farm operators completing the questionnaire for the year 2017.

Injury survey data was analysed for 48 variables in conjunction with NFS core farm socio-economic, physical and financial data as well as relevant data from 2010.