The agricultural worker: Occupational health's neglected client

Abstract

There are about 2,479,000 farms in the United States employing at least 5,620,000 workers (United States Census Bureau, 1984); When compared to other industries, agriculture ranks second to construction in overall accident rate. Agriculture ranks second to construction in job-related fatalities with a rate of 1.8 per 1,000. An estimated 6% of agricultural workers work with some form of disability, higher than any other industry. In spite of these facts, the shortage and sometimes absence of health care personnel in remote areas represents a major barrier to occupational health services for agricultural workers. A survey is presented of hazards and special problems in agriculture. The importance and challenges of maintaining the health of the agricultural worker are clear, yet this population's occupational health problems have not been dealt with adequately by the health care industry in general, nor by occupational health nurses (OHNs) in particular. One of the main reasons for this is the lack of settings for OHNs in agriculture, since most of the farms in the U.S. are small and financially unable to support an OHN in this role. Hence, the remaining possibilities for employment are with public health departments, migrant and community clinics, and possibly as a consultant to these agencies or to private farmers themselves. It is not only important that OHNs become knowledgeable about the hazard connected with agricultural work, but also that the nurses equipped with this knowledge apply their skills in order to meet the health care needs of this neglected sector of the workforce.