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ABSTRACT: Farm families have been identified traditionally with a strong family bond resulting from both living and working together. When a farming fatality occurs, surviving family members are left to deal with not only the tragedy of losing a loved one, but also the loss of a coworker. Although every family experiencing a loss will deal with bereavement issues, farm families are faced with additional challenges that differentiate them from other family situations. A qualitative research methodology was employed to understand the complex mix of challenges facing farm families after the death of a family member. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with farming widows in Kentucky to explore the stresses and challenges related to the farm business, family relationships, and the mental health of the individual members. Becoming the primary decision maker for the farm and household was a difficult role for the widows. Economic issues were an underlying consideration in many aspects of the experiences and changes they encountered. The need to make economic decisions almost immediately while continuing the necessary chores to maintain crops and livestock was very stressful and left little time for bereavement. Often the support from family, friends, and neighbors went beyond emotional comforting to providing help with farm chores and guidance on financial decisions. In developing resources for farm families in similar circumstances, it is important to understand how intertwined their lives are with their environment and the economics of the business.
Journal of agricultural safety and health 06/2001; 7(2):75-87.
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ABSTRACT: A population-based occupational fatality surveillance system was used to identify 452 work-related fatalities in Kentucky over a 3-year period. Three hundred eighty-six workers less than 65 years old were included in this analysis of potentially productive years of life lost (PPYLL). A total of 9,275 years of potentially productive life were lost due to these occupational fatalities, costing the state economy $148 million in lost wages. Most of this loss (70%) was in the industries of transportation/communication/public utilities, manufacturing, mining and construction. The transportation/communication/public utilities division alone accounted for 21.4% of the total lost earnings. The agriculture/forestry/fishing division exceeded all others in potentially productive years of life lost. However, because of its lower mean income and older ages at death, that division ranked fifth in lost earnings. This article demonstrates that prevention resources should be directed at the agriculture, transportation, and logging industries, and to the prevention of fatalities caused by tractors, motor vehicle crashes, and falling objects, to be most effective in reducing the enormous economic burden of occupational fatalities.
The Journal of the Kentucky Medical Association 10/1998; 96(9):369-73.
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ABSTRACT: In Kentucky, seven out of nine industry groups exceed the national average fatality rates; in 1994, the agriculture/forestry/fishing industry rate of 80/ 100,000 was more than three times the national average. This paper describes the occupational fatality data collected during the first year of operation (1994) of the Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Project in Kentucky. Investigators used multiple reporting sources to identify incidents, which were then systematically recorded and updated. On-site investigations were conducted for certain categories of fatalities. One hundred sixty-six occupational fatalities were recorded for 1994. Motor vehicle incidents were the most common cause of death, followed by machine-related incidents. Ages of victims ranged from 15 to 86 with a median of 46. Investigators completed 22 on-site visits during the period. In this article, descriptive statistics are presented, as well as suggestions for ways the medical community might contribute to the occupational fatality prevention effort.
The Journal of the Kentucky Medical Association 10/1996; 94(9):395-400.
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The Journal of the American Board of Family Practice / American Board of Family Practice 11(6):481-4.
