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UW expert: Lack of reliable data limits farm safety education efforts

A University of Wisconsin farm safety specialist says educating farmers and the general public about rural safety requires good data that’s not always easy to get.

John Shutske with the University of Wisconsin tells Brownfield not every state is the same when it comes to reporting road crash data, and much of the information they get comes from news reports and death certificates.  “The most recent data we have is from, I believe it was 2017 thorough 2020 and we were typically seeing on the order of I think anywhere from four to as many as nine fatalities (in Wisconsin) on rural highways that involve some type of farm machinery.”

Shutske says it’s difficult to develop the best prevention tools without good injury and fatality data on and off the roads.  He says not all farm-related fatalities get counted.  “Nationally, that number is between probably 400 and 500, and by the way, when groups like the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Safety Council, when they look at things on a national level, I say 400 to 500, they’re not including kids like kids below the age of sixteen.”

Shutske estimates as much as 80% of farm-related injuries are treated by a hospital, clinic, or emergency rooms, but the exact number of incidents is unknown.  “We had like 30 to 35 fatalities in Wisconsin a year, but we really don’t have a great handle on injuries because they simply, we just don’t have the reporting systems in place to really track everything that’s happening.”

Shutske says one of the tools that has reduced farm-related deaths and injuries on roads is the addition of flashing lights and turn signals on older tractors and machinery and using the lights during daytime and nighttime operation.

Shutske says the University of Wisconsin works closely with the Marshfield, Wisconsin based National Farm Medicine Center to gather farm-related incident data.

The third week of September is National Farm Safety and Health Week.

AUDIO: Farm Safety and Health Specialist John Shutske from the University of Wisconsin discusses injury and fatality data with Brownfield’s Larry Lee.