CANADIAN

AGRICULTURAL
INJURY REPORTING
Agriculture-Related
Fatalities in Canada
 Copyright Canadian Agricultural Injury Reporting (CAIR), 2016. All rights reserved

Quotes, whole tables and whole figures may be abstracted from this report as long as the Canadian
Agricultural Injury Reporting is referenced. No more than one page of the report may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from CAIR.
Data published in this report may not be reanalyzed or reinterpreted without written permission
from CAIR.

Researched and compiled for CAIR by Injury Prevention Centre (IPC), University of Alberta,
4075 RTF, 8308-114 Street NW, Edmonton Alberta T6G 2E1

Visit CAIRs website at www.casa-acsa.ca

CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgments 1

Chapter 1 Introduction 2

Chapter 2 Methods 5

Chapter 3 Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada

1990-2012 Overview 10

Chapter 4 Agriculture-Related Fatalities

In Canada 2003-2012 Overview 12

Appendix A Decision Rules 28

Appendix B Glossary 29

Appendix C Fatality Data Abstraction Form 32

Appendix D Agriculture Populations 34

Appendix E CAIR Collaborators 39

CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

FUNDING AND SUPPORT

Canadian Agricultural Injury Reporting (CAIR)

is supported financially by the Canadian
Agricultural Safety Association (CASA). CASA is
funded in part by Growing Forward 2, a federal,
provincial, and territorial initiative with support
from the agricultural and corporate sectors.

Thank you to all individuals and agencies that

have contributed to CAIR and the preparation of
this report.

WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO:

CAIR Co-Director, Kathy Belton, PhD

CAIR National Coordinator, Colleen Drul

C O N T AC T I N F O R M A T I O N

Canadian Agricultural Injury Reporting

C/O The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association
3325C Pembina Highway
Winnipeg, MB R3V 0A2
Tel. 877.452.2272
Fax. 877.261.5004
E-mail: cair-sbac@casa-acsa.ca
Website: www.casa-acsa.ca

1 CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada

 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 GENERAL INTRODUCTION
The Canadian Agricultural Injury Reporting
(CAIR), formerly known as the Canadian
Agriculture Injury Surveillance Program (CAISP)
was established in 1995 in response to the need
for better information about fatal and hospitalized
agriculture-related injuries in Canada. CAIR is
a national program with collaborators in each
of the ten provinces of Canada. Agriculture-
Related Fatalities in Canada examines Canadian
agriculture-related fatality data for the 10 year
period between 2003 to 2012. This report
includes trends over a 23 year time period
(1990 to 2012) as well as an in-depth analysis of
mechanisms of injury over a 10 year time period
from 2003 to 2012. The reported agriculture-
related fatality data is for persons who were part of
the Canadian farm population, those temporary
foreign workers under the seasonal agriculture
workers program from Citizenship
& Immigration Canada, or those who were at
risk for agriculture-related injuries in Canada
from 2003 to 2012. From 2003 to 2012, there
were 843 agriculture-related fatalities in Canada,
an average of 84 per year. Over the 10-year
surveillance period, the average fatality rate per
100,000 farm population, per year was 11.5
fatalities.
Following this introduction, there is a description
of the methods used in CAIR. Agriculture-related
fatalities in Canada are then reviewed in two
overview chapters.
CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada 2
1 . 2 H I S T O R Y O F AG R I C U LT U R E - R E L A T E D
I N J U R Y S U R V E I L L A N C E I N CA N A DA
Agriculture-related injuries have been recognized
as an important rural health issue since the
1960s, when the problem was first recognized
in the medical literature. At that time, some
provincial groups began to monitor agriculture-
related injuries, but only recently have substantial
national resources been committed to the study
of agriculture-related injuries.
When compared with other Canadian industrial
sectors, agriculture is a dangerous occupation.
Agriculture ranks as the fourth most hazardous
industry in Canada with respect to rates of
fatal injury. In terms of absolute numbers of
fatalities, there is no more dangerous occupation.1
Economic costs associated with agriculture-related
injuries are also substantial. In 2004, agriculture-
related injuries in Canada cost $465 million
dollars. Unintentional injuries accounted for the
majority of costs, 80% of all agriculture related
injury costs ($374 million).2
Until the establishment of CAIR, Canadian data
on agriculture-related injuries were limited. This
surveillance program has filled an important void
in providing national evidence of agriculture-
related injury occurrence that can be used
in developing and targeting eective injury-
prevention strategies. CAIR data has been used by
various groups internationally, including Australia,
Brazil, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Netherlands,
New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the
United States. CAIR has been referenced in a
variety of inventories and compendiums including
guides to occupational and environmental health
 and safety, casebooks and inventories published
by the Public Health Agency of Canada. In
terms of policy, CAIR has been used as a
reference source for agriculture-related injuries at
international, national, provincial, and regional
132 articles in 56 journals reaching a very wide
range of disciplines were related to CAIR.
1 . 3 C A N A D I A N AG R I C U LT U R A L I N J U R Y
REPORTING

levels. Information gathered indicated that the
programs data has contributed to informing,
influencing and enacting policy development
at both federal and provincial levels. Evidence
of strategic planning influences at provincial
and organizational levels is also apparent, and
contributions can be linked to: child safety
guidelines,3 child labour laws,4 occupational health
and safety guidelines,5 engineering standards,6
injury reduction, and health promotion strategies.
At an international level, the Government of
Canada has cited CAIR reports in its 2003
submission to the United Nations Convention
on the Rights of the Child and identified CAIR
as playing an important role in influencing
childrens rights in Canada.7 CAIR has also been
identified as a tool for awareness raising, skill
building, and knowledge development through
conference presentations, teleconferences, lectures,
course materials, social marketing campaigns, and
resource materials. From a research perspective,
The Canadian Agricultural Injury Reporting
(CAIR) is a national program that is funded by
the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association
(CASA). CAIR is a collaborative program
involving various organizations from across
Canada. It is coordinated from a national oce
at the Injury Prevention Centre, University of
Alberta, in Edmonton, Alberta. The people and
organizations that contribute to CAIR include
researchers, government agencies and the
agricultural industry.
The main purpose of CAIR is to collect and
analyze information on agriculture-related
injuries from across Canada. CAIR established
national standards for the collection of fatality and
hospitalizations. Although a very rich data source,
in 2002, CAIR ceased the collection of hospital
admission data on a national basis due to budget
cuts. The collection of hospital admissions data
requires the review of hospital records in order

1 Pickett W, Hartling L, Brison RJ, Guernsey J (1999). Fatal farm injuries in Canada. Can. Med Assoc. J. 160:1843-1848.
2 SMARTRISK, (2009). The Economic Burden of Injury within the Agricultural Population in Canada. SMARTRISK:
Toronto, ON (unpublished).
3 National Childrens Centre for Rural and Agriculture-related Health and Safety, Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation,
2006. Available at: http:// www.marshfieldclinic.org/nccrahs/?page=nccrahs_aboutus_center_highlights.
4 Irwin, John, Stephen McBride and Tanya Strubin. 2005. Child and Youth Employment Standards: The Experience of Young
Workers Under British Columbias New Policy Regime. Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, September 2005. 40 pp.
5 Ontario Ministry of Labour, 2006; Workers Compensation Board of Prince Edward Island, 2006.
6 Canadian Standards Association. Available at: http://www.csa.com/
7 Government of Canada, 2003. Available at:http://www.canadiancrc.com/UN_CRC/UN_Committee_ Rights_Child_
Canada_2nd_Report- Over- view_SEP_2003_34th_Session.aspx

3 CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada

 to extract the circumstances around the injury
producing event. Due to the sheer number of
hospital admissions annually, the costs proved to
be prohibitive.
CAIRs vision: A pillar of agricultural safety
providing a comprehensive national system of
surveillance for fatal and non-fatal agricultural
injuries.
CAIRs mission: To provide Canada with national
and provincial leadership in the prevention of
agricultural injuries as a world leader in gathering
information, conducting research and translating
knowledge into products and services.
CAIR strives to ensure that fatality injury data are
collected, compiled, and analyzed in a standard
manner by all provinces and that the information
is interpreted and communicated in ways that are
helpful to those in the agricultural industry.
CAIRs primary audience is individuals within the
agricultural industry who need to make informed
decisions about safety programs and policy.
CAIRs reports represent one approach to making
these data accessible to this audience.
Other dissemination formats include articles
in scientific journals, presentations at national
conferences and information on casa-acsa.ca.
CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada 4
1 . 4 T H E U S E S O F CA I R DA T A
CAIR has developed a surveillance system
for Canada that describes the occurrence and
patterns of agriculture-related injuries at a higher
level of detail than was available previously.
At both national and provincial levels, CAIR
has provided evidence that has assisted in the
development of priorities for health and safety
programs as well as strategies for the targeting of
these initiatives. CAIR data have also facilitated
the post-implementation assessment of injury-
prevention programs.
Agriculture-related safety specialists and others
require objective evidence so that they can
promote awareness of agriculture-related injury
issues and advocate the allocation of additional
resources to injury prevention and research
programs. CAIR information has been used
repeatedly to assist in advocacy eorts. This has
contributed to the development of informed
safety policy in the agricultural industry and to
the funding of safety programs at international,
national, and provincial levels.
CAIR has provided baseline evidence to
support several applied research projects such
as the Saskatchewan Farm Injury Cohort Study
funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health
Research (2005-2010). These projects include
focused investigations aimed at the prevention
of agriculture-related injuries in children and the
elderly, studies of agriculture-related machinery
injuries and their causes, and studies examining
the economic burden of agriculture-related injuries.
 1 . 5 T H E C H A L L E N G E S O F I N J U R Y C O N T R O L
I N AG R I C U LT U R E
In other industries, victims of occupational
injuries are usually workers aged 18 to 65.
Agriculture is unique in that children and the
elderly sustain significant numbers of severe
work-related injuries. This is partly because farms
and ranches are not just work sites, but also
places where people of all ages live and participate
in recreational activities. Also, unlike other
industries, it is common for farmers and ranchers
to work full time and to operate tractors and other
heavy machinery well into their 70s and 80s.
The prevention of injuries in agricultural work
settings is challenging because of the unique
nature of the agricultural work environment.
Also, in most jurisdictions, agriculture is
not a heavily regulated industry in terms of
occupational health and safety standards. Unlike
other industrial workplaces, many Canadian
agricultural workplaces have not benefited
from modern industrial hygiene and safety
practices. The composition of the agricultural
workforce, farming practices, and safety practices
is geographically diverse. This diversity adds to
the diculty of establishment and enforcement
of safety standards. There has traditionally been
reliance on voluntary, rather than regulatory safety
standards, but the eectiveness of voluntary safety
standards has not been well evaluated.
5 CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada
CHAPTER 2: METHODS
2 . 1 I D E N T I F I CA T I O N O F AG R I C U LT U R E -
R E L A T E D FA T A L I T I E S
A review of CAIRs data collection and analysis
methods is detailed in this report. The process
used in the identification of agriculture-related
fatalities varies by province. This is a general
description of the process:
1. Potential sources of agriculture-related fatality
data are identified. These are kept by a variety
of agencies that vary by province. Examples of
these agencies include: oces of the provincial
coroner or chief medical examiner, occupational
health agencies, departments of vital statistics,
ministries of transportation and provincial
agriculture-related safety associations.
2. A comprehensive list of all potential agriculture-
related fatalities is assembled within each
province. These lists draw upon each available
source of fatality data.
3. Once cases are identified, detailed case reports
are sought for review and data abstraction.
The main sources of information are coroners
investigation reports, occupational safety
and health agency investigation reports, and
RCMP/provincial police reports.
4. Data abstraction and entry are completed on
each eligible fatality. This is done in a consistent
manner using a standard data abstraction form
(Appendix C). Data abstraction is completed
on-site at provincial chief coroners or medical
examiners oces. Data are then sent to the
national site for verification, coding and analysis.
 2.2 KEY DEFINITIONS
Agriculture-related Fatalities:
CAIR defines an agriculture-related fatality as:
1. Any unintentional injury resulting in fatality
that occurs during activities related to the
operation of a farm or ranch in Canada and/or
2. Any unintentional injury resulting in fatality
that involves any hazard of a farm or ranch
environment in Canada (excluding fatal non
work-related injuries that take place in the
farm residence). This includes fatalities that
occur away from agricultural work locations
if agriculture-related work is being done; e.g.,
transporting workers, livestock, supplies,
or harvested crops on public highways;
farm animals roaming on public highways.
Fatalities where victims are killed because a
third party is engaged in agriculture-related
work are also included.
Population of Fatalities: All persons who live,
work on, or visit a Canadian farm or ranch (as
defined below), as well as all persons who are
fatally injured in other locations (such as public
highways) as a result of agriculture-related
activity and all temporary foreign workers
under the seasonal agriculture workers program
from Citizenship & Immigration Canada. See
Appendix D: Agriculture Populations.
CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada 6
Farm: In the Census of Agriculture, Statistics
Canada defined a farm as any farm, ranch
or other agricultural holding that produces at
least one of the following agricultural products
intended for sale: crops, livestock, poultry,
animal products, greenhouse or nursery products,
mushrooms, sod, honey, or maple syrup
products. (Canada Census of Agriculture,
1996, Statistics Canada.)
Farm Population: The population covered by the
AgricultureNational Household Survey Linkage
database and the estimates derived from it also
changed in two ways in 2011:
The definition of the farming population changed.
In the years prior to 2011, only operators and
their families who resided on the farm at any
time in the previous 12 months were included
in the farming population. In 2011, the on-farm
restriction was removed. Operators and their
families not residing on a farm are also included.
Residents of collective dwellings were not eligible
to receive the National Household Survey and,
thus, are not represented in the Agriculture
National Household Survey Linkage database.
The farm populations used to calculate rates
presented in this report are based on the 2011
definitions and numbers from previous census
periods were re-tabulated accounting for the
current definition.
 2 . 3 C O N F I D E N T I A L I T Y O F CA I R DA T A 2 . 4 A N A LY S I S

Data are maintained in an electronic database that
is managed centrally by the National Coordinator
under the supervision of the Program Director.
The provincial collaborators retain the complete
data set for their own provinces.
Access to the national dataset is strictly limited to
CAIR collaborators for the following activities:
1. CAIR provincial collaborators assigned the
task of producing special technical reports
for Canada.
2. CAIR collaborators who have permission from
the CAIR group to conduct special analyses for
the purpose of producing scientific reports for
submission to peer-reviewed journals.
3. The National Coordinator and Program
Directors for the purpose of maintaining the
database and producing periodic comprehensive were not employed in comparisons.
reports for Canada.
4. To support agriculture-related injury prevention presented in this report. The numerators used
initiatives by others through analyses presented in calculating these rates are the numbers of
as tabular data.
The analysis presented in this report is descriptive
and not interpretive to imply cause and eect.
It has three main objectives:
1. to illustrate the magnitude of the agriculture-
related fatality problem in Canada,
2. to compare trends in the causes and occurrence
of fatal agriculture-related injuries among
genders and age groups and
3. to identify emerging patterns of injuries.
The statistics used include simple counts and
frequencies as well as cross-tabulations. To allow
for comparison across the provinces and years,
age-standardized rates were calculated using the
direct method. This method controls for potential
sources of bias resulting from variations in age
distributions of populations. Formal hypothesis-
testing methods and tests of statistical significance
Rates of fatal agriculture-related injuries are
agriculture-related fatalities for particular age
categories and mechanisms of injury. These
include fatal injuries to farm residents, hired
agriculture-related workers, contractors, persons
traveling on public highways and a small number
of visitors to farms. Denominators for these
rate calculations are taken from the 1996, 2001
and 2006 Canada Census of Agriculture and
extrapolated for the years in which the census was
not performed. In addition to the Canada Census
of Agriculture population, temporary foreign
workers under the seasonal agriculture workers
program from Citizenship & Immigration Canada
were included. For the year(s) for provinces who
did not submit fatality data, the populations
for those years were not included in the
denominator.*, **

7 CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada

 Some caution is warranted in the interpretation 2 . 5 DA T A L I M I T A T I O N S
of the rates because it is not possible to obtain The data is collected in accordance to section 2.1
complete data on the full population at risk, or Identification of Agriculture-Related Fatalities.
to determine relative amounts of exposure to However, there are limitations to this data
agriculture-related work and associated hazards. collection if the injury has not been identified
Also, the Canada Census of Agriculture includes as having occurred on the farm or involving
all farm and ranch residents, some of whom have agricultural machinery or agricultural activities
relatively little exposure to agriculture-related these incidents are not captured.
work hazards, but excludes visitors to farms or
ranches and agricultural workers who are not Data abstraction is completed on-site at provincial
resident on farms or ranches. The accuracy of chief coroners or medical examiners oces.
agriculture census information may vary among The quality of the data is reflective of the detailed
provinces, but is the best source of denominator documentation available in the records at the
information available at this time. provincial chief coroners or medical examiners
oces. Data is collected in a consistent manner
The change in trending of the age-standardized using a standard data abstraction form (Appendix
rates over time is expressed in average annual per C). Data are then sent to the national site for
cent between time periods. The sum of the average verification, coding and analysis.
percentage change will give the overall change.
The trending was done with the Joinpoint There is also limitation identifying migrant
Regression Program. To ensure the data in this workers. The numbers of migrant workers
report are illustrated in an eective and useful included in the denominator for calculating
manner, data fields with small numbers are often of rates only accounted for those workers
not included in graphs. In these cases, a note is who participated in the seasonal agricultural
included below the graph. workers program from Citizenship &
Immigration Canada.
Joinpoint, Version 3.3.1. April 2008; Statistical Research
and Applications Branch, National Cancer Institute.
Methods by Kim HJ, Fay MP, Feuer EJ, Midthune DN.
Permutation tests for joinpoint regression with applications
to cancer rates. Stat Med 2000;19:335-51 (correction:
2001;20:655).

* The number of fatalities in previous reports dier from those in the current report. This is due to the removal of extrapolated
Quebec fatalities with actual fatalities counts.
**Prince Edward Island fatality data for 2007 to 2008 have not been made available to CAIR.

CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada 8

 FA R M P O P U L A T I O N S

Over the period from 1990-2012 there has been
a decrease in the Canadian farm population of
42%. This equates to 469,582 fewer people on
farms. In 1990 there were 1,118,053 people
counted in the agriculture census and based on
linear extrapolation using the 1996, 2001, 2006
and 2011 Canada Census of Agriculture the
agriculture population in 2008 the count dropped
to 633,858. (see Appendix D). See key definitions
(Chapter 2.2) for the changes to inclusion on the
Agriculture-National Household survey.

1,200,000

1,000,000
Farm Populations

800,000

600,000

400,000

200,000

0
19

19

19

19

19

20

20

20

20

20

20

20
90

92

94

96

98

00

02

04

06

08

10

12
Year

FA R M P O P U L A T I O N BY AG E G R O U P

Over the time period from 1990-2012 the age
group which experienced the largest percentage
decline in farm population was those between the
ages of 30 to 39 years with a decline of 72%. This
was followed by children 5 to 9 years of age with a
decline of 63%, children 1 to 4 years of age with a
decline of 61%, and children 10 to 14 years with
a decline of 60%.
There were increases in the older farm population,
with the largest increase experienced by those
80 years of age and older with a 58% increase,
followed by those 70 to 79 years of age with an
increase of 14% and then those 50 to 59 years of
age with an increase of 4%.

200,000
180,000 1-4
5-9
160,000
10-14
Farm Population

140,000 15-19
120,000 20-29
100,000 30-39
40-49
80,000
50-59
60,000 60-69
40,000 70-79

20,000 >80

0
19

19

19

19

19

20

20

20

20

20

20

20
90

92

94

96

98

00

02

04

06

08

10

12

Year

9 CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada

 CHAPTER 3: AGRICULTURE-RELATED FATALITIES
IN CANADA 1990-2012 OVERVIEW

3 . 1 F A T A L AG R I C U LT U R E - R E L A T E D I N J U R I E S BY CA L E N DA R Y E A R , 1 9 9 0 - 2 0 1 2
( 2 , 3 2 4 FA T A L I T I E S )

From 1990 to 2012, there were 2,324 agriculture- last 11 years (2002-2012) the average number of
related fatalities in Canada. An average of 101 fatalities dropped to 85 each year.
fatalities each year. During the first 12 years of Note: The number of fatalities in previous reports differ from
the surveillance period (1990-2001) there was those in the current report. This is due to the removal of
extrapolated Quebec fatalities with actual fatality counts. In
an average of 116 fatalities each year. During the
addition, 2007-2008 are incomplete for the province of PEI.

140
140 135
120 121 117
120 114 116 111 111
107
Number of Fatalities

105
100 97 98
94 93 91
87 86
83 81 82
80 75

60
60
40
20
0
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
00
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
Year

3 . 2 FA T A L AG R I C U LT U R E - R E L A T E D I N J U R Y R A T E S BY Y E A R S ( AG E - S T N D ) , 1 9 9 0 - 2 0 1 2

Over the 23 year period the overall agriculture fatality rate decreased an average of 1.1% annually.
Rate per 100,000 Farm Population

20.0
18.0
16.0
14.0
12.0
10.0
8.0
6.0
4.0
2.0
0
Year 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Age-Stnd Rate 13.5 12.5 12.6 13.5 15.2 13.4 12.5 14.2 14.2 12.2 14.9 12.8 12.1 13.2 10.5 12.3 10.8 11.3 10.7 11.5 12.9 11.1 8.2

Trend Rate 14.1 14.0 13.8 13.7 13.5 13.4 13.2 13.1 12.9 12.8 12.6 12.5 12.3 12.2 12.1 11.9 11.8 11.7 11.5 11.4 11.3 11.1 11.0

Note: 2007-2008 are incomplete for the province of PEI and the rates have been adjusted accordingly.

CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada 10

 3 . 3 F A T A L AG R I C U LT U R E - R E L A T E D I N J U R Y C O M PA R I S O N BY AG E G R O U P,
1990-2012

50.0

45.0

40.0
Rate per 100,000 Farm Population

35.0

30.0

25.0

20.0

15.0

10.0

5.0

0
Year 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Children
9.6 3.7 6.3 4.3 10.3 8.3 4.7 10.1 6.7 6.5 5.9 6.1 3.7 6.7 6.5 5.9 6.7 10.3 9.1 4.5 6.3 5.5 4.7
(0-14 yrs)
Adults
7.6 7.7 7.5 7.4 10.3 7.6 7.2 7.2 8.3 5.9 7.9 6.7 8.0 6.8 5.0 5.4 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.4 7.3 8.2 4.2
(15-59 yrs)
Older Adults
34.6 33.2 33.5 42.7 33.6 36.3 35.4 39.4 39.2 38.4 44.9 39.3 31.6 38.3 29.8 40.6 25.8 27.2 21.5 34.0 36.9 26.5 22.2
(60+ yrs)

When comparing the fatality rates by population
group, each age group experienced a decrease
in the fatality rate. Older adults (60+ years)
consistently had higher fatality rates than children
and adults. The fatality rates for children and
adults are very similar.
Adults (15-59 years) experienced a statistically
significant decrease in the fatality rate with an
average of 1.1% annually. Older adults (60+
years) experienced an average annual decrease in
the fatality rate of 1.1%, and children (0-14 years)
had an average decrease of 0.8% annually.

From this point forward, the report will focus on the

most current 10 years of data available, 2003-2012.

11 CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada

 CHAPTER 4: AGRICULTURE-RELATED FATALITIES IN
CANADA 2003-2012 OVERVIEW

4 . 1 F A T A L AG R I C U LT U R E - R E L A T E D I N J U R I E S BY M O N T H , 2 0 0 3 - 2 0 1 2

125
103 103
100 95 96
Number of Fatalities

83
79
75 69 68

50
37 36
31 34

25
9
0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Month

Of the 843 agriculture-related fatalities in of the fatalities occurred in the months of August
Canada 66% occurred from May to October and October.
with 570 fatalities.
Relatively few fatal agriculture-related injuries
The highest proportion of fatalities took place in occurred in the winter months of December to
July and September each with 12%. Another 11% March. There were 9 fatalities in which the month
was not documented.

4 . 2 F A T A L AG R I C U LT U R E - R E L A T E D I N J U R I E S BY AG E G R O U P A N D G E N D E R , 2 0 0 3 - 2 0 1 2

400
350
352 348
The vast majority, 91%
of the persons who died
Number of Fatalities

300
250 in agriculture-related
200 Males
injury events were male.
Females
150
The ratio of males to
100 67 females was highest
50 34
17 21 for the 60+ age group
0 Note: 4 males age unknown
(16.5:1), and lowest for
Sex 0-14 yrs 15-59 yrs 60+ yrs Total %
Male 67 352 348 767 91
the 1 to 14 year age group
Female 17 34 21 72 9 (3.9:1).
Total 84 386 369 839 100
Percent 10 50 39 100

CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada 12

 4 . 3 F A T A L AG R I C U LT U R E - R E L A T E D I N J U R I E S BY S E A S O N , 2 0 0 3 - 2 0 1 2

SPRING SUMMER FALL WINTER

Mar-May Jun-Aug Sep-Nov Dec-Feb

Entanglement in moving
Machinery runover 18% Machinery rollovers 19% Machinery rollovers 19%
machinery parts 15%

Machinery rollovers 16% Machinery runover 19%
Pinned/struck by machine
Animal-related 10%
component 10%
Machinery runover 17% Machinery rollovers,
pinned/struck by machine
component and pinned/
Entanglement in moving struck by falling object
from machinery each with
machinery parts 9%
11%

Pinned/struck by machine Pinned/struck by machine

Animal-related 9% Animal-related 10%
component 7% component 10%

Machinery versus traffic Machinery versus traffic Machinery versus traffic Machinery versus traffic
collisions 6% collisions 8% collision 7% collision 7%

All other injuries 43% All other injuries 35% All other injuries 38% All other injuries 35%

Overall, the top 3 mechanisms of agriculture-
related fatalities were: machine runovers 18%,
machine rollovers 17% and being pinned or
struck by a machine component 9%.
Seasonally, machine rollovers were the leading
causes during the 2 most active seasons, summer
and fall. It was the second leading cause in the
spring.
The per cent is based on all injury fatalities within each season.

13 CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada

 4 . 4 A G R I C U LT U R E - R E L A T E D FA T A L I T I E S BY N U M B E R A N D R A T E BY AG E G R O U P, 2 0 0 3 - 2 0 1 2

400 80.0

Rate per 100,000 Farm Population

350 70.0
Number of Fatalities

300 60.0
250 50.0
200 40.0
150 30.0
100 20.0
Overall Rate
50 10.0
0 0
1-4 5-9 10-14 15-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 >80

Number of
Fatalities
30 37 17 26 43 69 90 158 159 142 68

Age Specific
9.0 8.5 3.0 4.1 6.5 9.2 7.2 12.1 19.0 35.5 56.4
Rate

Age Groups (years)

The overall agriculture fatality rate was
11.9 per 100,000 farm population.
The age groups with the highest number of
fatalities, those 60 to 69 years of age (159
fatalities) and those 50 to 59 years of age (158
fatalities) did not have the highest rate, 19.0
fatalities per 100,000 farm population and 12.1
fatalities per 100,000 population respectively.
The age group with the highest fatality rate was
experienced by those 80 years of age and older
with a rate of 56.4 fatalities per 100,000 farm
population with 68 fatalities.
There were 4 fatalities in which age was not
documented.

CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada 14

 4 . 5 F A T A L AG R I C U LT U R E - R E L A T E D I N J U R I E S : BY R E L A T I O N S H I P T O AG R I C U LT U R E - R E L A T E D
WO R K , 2 0 0 3 - 2 0 1 2

773 714
Work-related Victim working
92% 86%

70 120
Victim not working
Non-work-related
14%
8%

92% (773 fatalities) of the agriculture-related were not working themselves. Overall, 86% of
fatalities in Canada were work-related. The few those killed in agriculture-related injury events
fatalities that were non-work-related (8%) were were actually engaged in agriculture-related work.
due to hazards of the farm environment.
There were 9 fatalities in which it could not
Most adults who died were engaged in agriculture- be determined if the deceased was working or
related work, whereas the majority of children not working.
who were killed in work-related injury events

4 . 6 F A T A L AG R I C U LT U R E - R E L A T E D I N J U R I E S BY M A J O R CAU S E , 2 0 0 3 - 2 0 1 2

70% (589 fatalities) of agriculture-related 589

fatalities were machine-related. The leading Machine-related
70%
machine-related mechanisms of fatal injury were
machine rollovers, machine runovers and machine
entanglements. (Figure 4.8).

There were 255 agriculture-related fatalities that

were non-machine-related (30%) included being
struck by an animal or an object, drownings
(mainly in children), falls from height, and
exposure to toxic substances. (Figure 4.8). 255
Non-machine-related
30%

Note: there was one fatality in which there was insucient documentation to determine if the injury was machine or non-machine-
related and therefore the fatality was counted once in each category.

15 CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada

 4.7 C
 O M PA R I S O N O F FA T A L AG R I C U LT U R E - R E L A T E D M AC H I N E - R E L A T E D I N J U R I E S
( AG E - S T N D ) , 2 0 0 3 - 2 0 1 2

5.0
Rate per 100,000 Farm Population

4.5
4.0 Rollover- APC* = -3.64
3.5 Entanglement- APC = +6.2
3.0
2.5 Pinned/Struck- APC = -7.8
2.0 Motor Vehicle Collision- APC = +2.8
1.5
Runover- APC = -2.3
1.0
0.5
0
* Annual Percentage Change
20

20

20

20

20

20

20

20

20

20
03

04

05

06

07

08

09

10

11

12
Year

When analyzing the top 5 machine-related struck by a machinery component decreased an

mechanisms of injuries over time, fatality rates
due to rollovers experienced a decrease on
average of 3.6% annually, fatality rates due to
entanglements increased an average of 6.2%
annually, fatality rates from being pinned/
average of 7.8% annually, motor vehicle collision
fatality rates increased an average of 2.8%
annually and runover fatality rates decreased
by an average of 2.3% annually.

CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada 16

 4 . 8 FA T A L AG R I C U LT U R E - R E L A T E D I N J U R I E S BY T H E T O P 1 0 CAU S E S O F I N J U R Y, 2 0 0 3 - 2 0 1 2

Runover 149 (18%)

Rollover 143 (17%)
Mechanism of Injury

Pinned or Struck 77 (9%)

Animal Related 65 (8%)
Entanglement Caught 61 (7%)
Traffic Collision 59 (7%)
Machine-Related
Struck by Object Falling/Propelled 37 (4%) Non-Machine-Related

Struck Non-machine Object 36 (4%)

Asphyxia Grain/Soil 33 (4%)
Fall From Height 31 (4%)

0 50 100 150 200

Number of Fatalities

Almost half of all agriculture-related fatalities in 7%, struck by a falling or propelling object (often
Canada (44%) were due to three machine-related a bale) accounted for 4%, and being struck by a
causes: machine runovers, machine rollovers and non-machine object, asphyxiation from grain or
being pinned or struck by a machine component soil and fall from height each accounted for 4%.
(total of 369 fatalities). Machine runovers and
There were an additional 20 machine-related
machine rollovers accounted for 18% and
and non-machine-related mechanisms of injury
17% of fatalities respectively. Being pinned or
categories with 152 fatalities (18%) that were not
struck by a machine component (9%), animal-
included in the above graph.
related fatalities accounted for (8%), machine
entanglements and trac collisions each with

17 CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada

 4 . 9 FA T A L AG R I C U LT U R E - R E L A T E D R U N OV E R S , 2 0 0 3 - 2 0 1 2 75
Unmanned machine
There were 149 agriculture-related runover
50%
fatalities from 2003 to 2012. Alighted operator
runovers (unmanned machine) were the most 31
Bystander
frequent type of fatal runover (50%). In this kind
21%
of injury event, the victim is runover by a vehicle
he/she had left running or unblocked on a slope.
Bystander runovers caused the second largest
percentage of runover fatalities (21%), followed
by fallen operator runovers (17%), passenger/ 26 1
Unspecified
extra rider runovers (11%). There was 1 fatality Operator 16
17% 1%
in which the decedent was not identified as an Passenger
11%
operator, passenger or bystander.

4 . 1 0 F A T A L AG R I C U LT U R E BY S T A N D E R R U N OV E R S BY AG E G R O U P, 2 0 0 3 - 2 0 1 2

10 3.0
9
2.5

Crude Rate per 100,000 Farm Population

8
7 2.0
Number of Fatalities

6
5 1.5
4
1.0
3
2 0.5
1
0 0.0
1-4 5-9 10-14 15-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 >80

Number 9 1 1 2 3 2 4 1 6 1 1

Crude Rate 2.7 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.1 0.7 0.2 0.8

Age Groups (years)

Of the 31 bystanders runover, one-third (33%) (9 fatalities) and the highest age-specific rate of
were children between 1 and 9 years of age. 2.7 fatalities per 100,000 farm population.
Children between 1 and 4 years of age had the
highest number of bystander runover fatalities

CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada 18

 4 . 1 1 F A T A L AG R I C U LT U R E - R E L A T E D R U N OV E R S BY T O P 5 M AC H I N E T Y P E S , 2 0 0 3 - 2 0 1 2

Tractor 93 (62%)
Motor vehicle 21 (14%)
Machine Type

Farm wagon/trailer 11 (7%)

Bulldozer/bob cat 6 (4%)

Combine 5 (3%)

0 20 40 60 80 100
Number of Fatalities

Of the 149 agriculture-related runover fatalities, There were an additional 9 machine types for a
62% involved the use of a tractor, and another total of 13 fatalities (9%) which were not included
14% involved a motor vehicle. in the above graph.

4 . 1 2 FA T A L AG R I C U LT U R E - R E L A T E D M AC H I N E R O L L OV E R S BY R O L L OV E R T Y P E , 2 0 0 3 - 2 0 1 2

Of the 143 rollover fatalities, 56% (80 fatalities)

31
were sideways in direction. Another 22% (32 Rollover-unspecified 80
fatalities) of the rollovers were backwards and in 22% Rollover-sideways
56%
22% (31 fatalities) the direction of rollover could
not be determined.

The majority of the rollover fatalities involved a

tractor (69%), and another 16% involved an
o-road vehicle.
32
Rollover-backwards
22%

19 CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada

 4 . 1 3 F A T A L S I D E WAY S AG R I C U LT U R E - R E L A T E D R O L L OV E R S BY T H E T O P 5 I M M E D I A T E
CAU S E S O F R O L L OV E R , 2 0 0 3 - 2 0 1 2

35
29 (36%)
30
Number of Fatalities

25
22 (28%)
20

15

10
5 (6%) 5 (6%)
5 3 (4%)

0
Tr ose

Tr n in

Co

Ro

To xtr
av t

av cl

w ac
rn

u
cl

(e
gh

in tio
el o e

el ine

er

g
lin d

lin

in

te
g ge

rar
i

n
n

)
Immediate Cause

In 36% of fatal sideways machine rollovers, There were an additional 5 cause categories with
circumstance text descriptions attributed the a total of 16 fatalities (20%) which were not
rollover to the machine or vehicle travelling too included in the above graph.
close to the edge of a ditch or other steep slope
bordering a road or field. In 28% of the cases,
the rollover was said to be due to the machine or
vehicle travelling on a steep incline.

CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada 20

 4 . 1 4 F A T A L AG R I C U LT U R E - R E L A T E D S I D E WAY S R O L L OV E R S BY AC T I V I T Y P R I O R T O
R O L L OV E R , 2 0 0 3 - 2 0 1 2

35
30 (38%)
30
Number of Fatalities

25

20

15 13 (16%)

10 8 (10%)
5 (6%) 5 (6%)
5

0
Tr

Fi

Fo

W rm
ov
el

or y
an

re

fa
dw

ki ard
i

st
sp

ng

ng
r
or
or

y
k

In
ta
tio
n

Immediate Cause

In fatal sideways machine rollovers, injury There were an additional 6 categories with a total
circumstance text descriptions showed that the of 19 fatalities (24%) which were not included in
decedents most common activities prior to the the above graph.
rollover were driving on highways (transportation)
and farm roads (38%) and field work accounted
for another 16%.

21 CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada

 4 . 1 5 F A T A L LY P I N N E D O R S T R U C K BY M AC H I N E A N D N O N - M AC H I N E I N J U R I E S BY O B J E C T
TYPE, 2003-2012

Heavy machine (not under power) 26 (16%)

Bale, large round 23 (14%)
Other heavy non-machine object 23 (14%)
Object

Other heavy machine component 20 (12%)

Tree/branch/log 20 (12%)
Bucket 17 (10%)
Jacks/hydraulic lifts 9 (6%)

0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Number of Fatalities

From 2003 to 2012, 162 people were killed by being lifted with a piece of machinery or rolling
being struck, caught/pinned by machinery or a o a stack.
non-machinery object. In 16% of all struck by
There were an additional 9 object categories with
object fatalities, the victim was killed by a heavy
a total of 24 fatalities (15%) which were not
machine (not under power). In another 14% the
included in the above graph.
fatalities, victims were struck by a large bale either

4 . 1 6 F A T A L AG R I C U LT U R E - R E L A T E D A N I M A L I N J U R I E S BY T Y P E O F A N I M A L , 2 0 0 3 - 2 0 1 2

There were 65 animal-related fatalities in Canada

from 2003 to 2012 (8% of all agriculture-related 1
fatalities). More than half (54%, 35 fatalities) Other 35
1% Horses
involved horses/stallions/colts. Of the fatalities
54%
associated with horses 59% (22 fatalities) were
involved in some form of agriculture work.
Example: checking on cattle, tending to the
horse. Another 38% (14 fatalities) were non-
work-related. Example: recreational horse-riding.
They are included in the CAIR fatality database 29
Cows
because horses are considered to be a hazard of the 45%
farm environment. Cows/bulls/steers/calves were
involved in 45% (29 fatalities).

CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada 22

 4 . 1 7 F A T A L M AC H I N E E N T A N G L E M E N T S BY AC T I V I T Y P R I O R T O E N T A N G L E M E N T, 2 0 0 3 - 2 0 1 2

14
12 (20%)
Number of Fatalities 12 11 (18%)
10
8 (13%)
8 7 (11%)
6 5 (8%)
4

0
Ot ear

M pa

Re lock

Ch ach ent

Fa ach
ai irs

ll in
he m

m ag

ec in s
n

re

m nt

m
nt /c

in e
ov e
r a ach

ki e o
co
en le

to
ng r
in
ct in

an an

g
iv e

ce ing
ity

Activity

Of the 61 fatalities due to entanglement, 51% There were 14 fatalities in which the activity
cited loose clothing or hair as the cause. In 20% prior to death could not be determined or was
(12 fatalities) of the cases, the deceased was not documented. There were an additional 3
performing another activity near the machine. In identified categories with a total of 4 fatalities
18% (11 fatalities) of entanglements the victim (3%) which were not included in the above graph.
had been cleaning or repairing a machine without
shutting it o. In 13% of the fatal entanglements
the deceased was trying to remove a blockage
prior to shutting the machine o.

23 CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada

 4 . 1 8 F A T A L AG R I C U LT U R E - R E L A T E D D R O W N I N G S BY D R O W N I N G L O CA T I O N , 2 0 0 3 - 2 0 1 2

11 (44%)
12
Number of Fatalities 10

6
4 (16%) 4 (16%) 3 (12%)
4

0
Du

La am gh

Se n n

Di
tc
ke p

w ure
sw ou

m goo
go

h
ag p
a
/p /
u

sl

la
t

e/ it
on
d/

/
Activity

Of the 25 non-machine related drowning fatalities There were 6 machine-related drownings.

from 2003 to 2012, 44% occurred in dugouts,
There were 3 additional drowning locations with a
16% in lakes or ponds, another 16% in manure
total of 3 fatalities (12%) which were not included
pits or sewage lagoons. More than half, 56%
in the above graph.
(14 fatalities) of the decedents were children,
less than ten years old.

4 . 1 9 F A T A L AG R I C U LT U R E - R E L A T E D N O N - M AC H I N E FA L L S F R O M H E I G H T, BY FA L L L O CA T I O N ,
2003-2012

14 13 (42%)
12
Number of Fatalities

10

6
4 (13%) 4 (13%)
4 3 (10%)
2 (6%)
2

0
La aff

Ba pe rs

Si rain

Ro ny s

Ba ay s
lo b
dd old

rn r f

le ta
of tru
sc

up fte

h
or in

or ck
er in

of ct
lo loo
ra

ft/ r/
or g

ur
e

Fall-location

42% of the 31 fatal non-machine falls from
height that occurred from 2003 to 2012 involved
ladders or scaolding. Barn lofts and rafters were
the location of occurrence for another 13% of
fatal falls.
There were 3 additional fall locations with a total
of 5 fatalities (15%) which were not included in
the above graph.

CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada 24

 4 . 2 0 F A T A L AG R I C U LT U R E - R E L A T E D T O X I C S U B S T A N C E I N J U R I E S BY T Y P E O F S U B S T A N C E ,
2003-2012

Of the 11 non-machine-related toxic substance entered dangerous confined spaces without the
exposure fatalities, 55% (6 fatalities) were proper equipment.
attributed to hydrogen sulfide poisoning. Another
There were an additional 2 machine-related
45% (5 fatalities) were caused by inhalation of
fatalities due to carbon monoxide. Carbon
silo gases. Hydrogen sulfide exposure occurs when
monoxide inhalation is most frequently associated
workers enter a poorly ventilated area containing
with running engines indoors in winter with
manure or sewage. Storage areas for hog
insucient ventilation.
manure are especially prone to hydrogen sulfide
accumulation. Of the 10 incidents involving Due to the small number of fatalities a graph is
non-machine toxic-related fatalities, 1 incident not presented.
involved multiple fatalities when would-be rescuers

4 . 2 1 F A T A L M AC H I N E - R E L A T E D AG R I C U LT U R E - R E L A T E D I N J U R I E S BY T O P 1 0 M AC H I N E
TYPES, 2003-2012

Tractor 271 (46%)

Motor vehicle 76 (13%)
Off-road vehicle 35 (6%)
Machine Type

Bulldozer/bob cat/skid steer 30 (5%)

Auger 22 (4%)
Farm wagon/trailer 20 (3%)
Combine 18 (3%)
Baler 13 (2%)
Mower 13 (2%)
Power take-off 12 (2%)

0 100 200 300

Number of Fatalities

There were 589 machine-related agriculture-
related fatalities in Canada from 2003 to 2012.
Machine types most frequently involved in
agriculture-related fatalities were tractors (46%),
followed by motor vehicles (13%), o-road
vehicles (6%).
There were an additional 13 machine types
with a total of 50 fatalities (8%) which were
not included in the above graph. There were 29
fatalities (5%) in which the machine type was not
identified. Tractors were associated with 32% of
all agriculture-related fatalities in Canada.

25 CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada

 4 . 2 2 F A T A L AG R I C U LT U R E - R E L A T E D I N J U R I E S BY R E L A T I O N S H I P T O FA R M O P E R A T O R ,
2003-2012

500
450 433 (55%)
400
Number of Fatalities

350
300
250
200
150
99 (13%) 85 (11%)
100
46 (6%) 35 (4%)
50
0
Op

Ch per

Hi ork

Ot f op

Ad co
re er

he er

ul nt
ild ato
o

or
er

t v ra
at

r r ato
of r
or

isi cto
el r
at

to r
iv

r
e
Relation

Of the 782 fatalities where the relationship
between the victim and the farm operator was
known, 55% of the persons killed in agriculture-
related injury events were farm owner/operator.
A further 13% of the victims were children of
farm owner/operator (of any age) and 11% were
hired workers.
Of the other relative of operator the majority
of them were identified as being the father of
the operator.
There were 50 fatalities (6%) in which the victim
was a roadway user (ie. driver/passenger of a
vehicle struck by agricultural machinery). There
were an additional 6 relationship categories with a
total of 34 fatalities (4%) which were not included
in the graph above. There were 61 fatalities (7%)
in which the relationship of the decedent was
unknown.

CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada 26

 4 . 2 3 F A T A L AG R I C U LT U R E - R E L A T E D I N J U R I E S BY L O CA T I O N O F I N J U R Y, 2 0 0 3 - 2 0 1 2

Field* 190 (24%)

Farm yard 144 (18%)
Location

Road/highway* 107 (14%)

Barn 63 (8%)
Woodlot/orchard 49 (6%)

0 50 100 150 200 250

Number of Fatalities

Of the 780 agriculture-related fatalities in which
a location was identified, the most common
locations were fields with 190 fatalities (24%),
farm yard with 144 fatalities (18%), road/
highway with 107 fatalities (14%), barns with
63 fatalities (8%) and woodlot or orchard with
49 fatalities (6%).
There were 63 fatalities in which the location was
unknown (8%). There were 10 other locations
with a total of 227 fatalities (29%) which were
not included in the above graph.
* = Includes adjacent dry ditches

27 CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada

 APPENDIX A: DECISION RULES
I N C L U S I O N O F FA T A L I T I E S A N D I N J U R I E S I N T H E CA I R FA T A L I T Y DA T A B A S E
Alcohol involvement
Fatal injuries where the victim was under the
influence of alcohol were included in the database
if they involved agriculture-related work or an
agriculture-related hazard.
Fatalities on highways
Fatal injuries on public highways that involved
agricultural vehicles, agricultural machinery or
farm animals were included in
the database.
Medical conditions
Fatalities attributed to pre-existing medical
conditions (e.g. previous seizure or heart attack)
were excluded from the fatality database. Fatalities
where an agriculture-related injury (such as a fall
from a machine) was immediately preceded by a
significant medical event such as a stroke, seizure
or heart attack, were also excluded. Fatalities from
a heart attack where the victim was engaged in
strenuous agriculture-related work at the time
of or immediately before the heart attack are
included in the fatality database as overexertion.
CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada 28
Secondary complications
Fatalities that occurred in hospital from secondary
complications of agriculture-related injuries
(e.g., embolism, respiratory distress) were included
in the fatality database. Note: New Brunswick
does not identify these cases as farm-related if the
fatality occurred more than two weeks after the
agriculture-related injury.
Off-road vehicles
Fatalities involving off-road vehicles such as ATVs,
dirt bikes and dune buggies were included in the
fatality database if they occurred on a farm or
ranch and/or involved agriculture-related work.
Children at play
Fatalities of children who were playing in the
agricultural workplace were included. For
example, cases where a person engaged in
agriculture-related work was unable to supervise a
child whom he/she had taken to the agricultural
work place; cases where a child was killed as a
direct result of someone engaged in an agriculture-
related work activity; cases where a child was
killed due to a hazard of the farm or ranch
environment such as a riding horses, tending to
farm animals, drowning in dugouts/sloughs or
manure pit, etc.
 APPENDIX B: GLOSSARY

GENERAL TERMS
Injury
Agriculture-related fatalities Damage to a person caused by an acute transfer of
CAIR defines an agriculture-related fatality as energy (mechanical, thermal, electrical, chemical,
1) Any unintentional injury resulting in fatality or radiation) or by the sudden absence of heat
that occurs during activities related to the or oxygen.
operation of a farm or ranch in Canada and/or
Numerator data
2) Any unintentional injury resulting in fatality
Data used as numerator values in rate calculations.
that involves any hazard of a farm or ranch
If presented as a fraction, the top half of an injury
environment in Canada (excluding fatal non-
rate refers to the number of cases (events) for a
work-related injuries that take place in the farm
particular mechanism of injury and/or age group.
residence). This includes fatalities that occur away
from agricultural work locations if agriculture- Non-work hazards
related work is being done; e.g. transporting Non-work hazards of the farm environment would
workers, livestock, supplies or harvested crops include things that one wouldnt typically find in a
on public highways; farm animals roaming on non-farm residence. This would include; various
public highways. Fatalities where victims are killed locations such as dugouts/sloughs, orchards, wood
because a third party is engaged in agriculture- lots, manure pits, various farm machinery such as
related work are also included. tractors, combines, ploughs. It would also include
various outbuildings such as barns, quonsets,
Denominator data
chicken coops, and various activities of tending
Data used as denominator values in rate
to animals, improper storage of equipment and
calculations. If presented as a fraction, the lower
riding of horses.
half of an injury rate refers to the population
exposed over a given period of time. Runovers
Machine-related agriculture-related injuries were
Farm
identified and coded by CAIR as agriculture-
Any farm or other agricultural holding that
related runovers if the victim was runover, struck,
produces at least one of the following agricultural
or pinned by an upright vehicle or agricultural
products intended for sale: crops, livestock,
machine that was under power or rolling on an
poultry, animal products, greenhouse or nursery
incline.
products, mushrooms, sod, honey, or maple
syrup products. (Census of Agriculture,
Statistics Canada.)

29 CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada

 Alighted operator runover (subcategory of
unmanned runover)
An operator is runover, pinned or struck by an
unmanned machine under power or rolling on
an incline, or by a machine or implement towed
by it. Includes being runover while attempting
to board a moving unmanned machine. Does
not include cases where the decedent had been
improperly starting the machine.
Bystander runover
A bystander is runover, pinned or struck by a
manned machine, or by a machine or implement
towed by it; includes being runover while
attempting to board or alight from a moving
manned machine.
Extra rider runover
A passenger falls from a machine and is then
runover, pinned or struck by the machine, or by a
machine or implement towed by it.
Improper start runover (subcategory of
unmanned runover)
A person is runover by an unmanned machine
subsequent to starting it by any means other than travelling too close to the edge
that specified by the machines manufacturer.
Includes bypass and jump starting.
Operator runover
An operator falls from a machine and is then
runover, pinned or struck by the machine, or by
a machine or implement towed by it.
Unmanned runover
A person is runover, pinned or struck by an
unmanned machine, or by a machine or implement pulling heavy machine/trailer
towed by it. Includes being runover while
attempting to board a moving unmanned machine.
CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada 30
Surveillance
The ongoing systematic collection, analysis,
interpretation and dissemination of health data.
Unintentional injury
Unintentional injuries consist of that subset
of injuries for which there is no evidence of
predetermined intent. To further identify the
activities or circumstances surrounding the
leading causes of the fatalities, additional analysis
was done based on the documentation in the
circumstances text field of the abstract.
Activity prior to rollover
Included transportation of goods/livestock
towing
field work
forestry
working in the farm yard
recreation, moving
road maintenance
extra rider
unknown
Cause of rollover
travelling on an incline, cornering
falling from a ramp
carrying a heavy load in a bucket
dragging logs/implements
pulling stumps/trees
towing
collision with an object
rough terrain
tractor arms/bucket caught on ground
unknown
 Activity prior to entanglement
Maintenance/repairs/cleaning of equipment

Objects involved with injuries as a result

of being pinned or struck by a machine or
non-machine
bale (large round)
bale other
tree, branch, log
collapsing building or structure
other heavy non-machine object example:
gate or door
heavy machine (not under power)
truck box
bucket
front end loader arms
other heavy machine component
knife or blade
baling or barbed wire
tool or part of tool (includes power tools)
hook, tow rope or chain
hitch or tongue
jacks or hydraulic lifts
other non-machine object
unknown
other machine-related object

31 CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada

 APPENDIX C: ABSTRACTION FORM
Appendix C: Abstraction Form
CA I R S AG R I C U LT U R E - R E L A T E D FA T A L I T Y DA T A A B S T R AC T I O N F O R M
CAIRs Agriculture-related Fatality Data Abstraction Form

CAIR FATAL FARM INJURIES DATA ABSTRACTION FORM

Coroners File #: ______-__________ CAIR ID: _______-_______-_______

year no. prov. year no.

An Agricultural Fatality is: 1) Any unintentional injury resulting in death that occurred during activities related to the operation of a
farm or ranch and/or 2) Any unintentional injury resulting in death that involved any hazard of a farm or ranch environment in Canada
(excluding fatal non work-related injuries that took place in the farm residence). This includes deaths that occurred away from
agricultural work locations if agricultural work was being done; e.g., transporting livestock, supplies, workers or harvested crops on
public highways. Deaths where victims were killed because a third party was engaged in agricultural work are also included.

Age: _________ Birth Date: ____ / ____ / ____ Birth date missing (circle)? Yes No
mm dd yyyy

Gender (circle): M F Province: __________ County/Regional Municipality: _________________

Region: _________________ Date of Injury: ____ / ____ / ____ Weekday of Injury (circle): S M T W T F S
mm dd yyyy

Time of Injury __________ (24:00) Date of Death: ____ / ____ / ____

mm dd yyyy

Source of data for case identification (circle all that apply):

1 Coroner 2 Medical Examiner 3 Media
4 RCMP / police 5 Registrar General 6 Other

A. DESCRIPTION OF INJURY EVENT

Please include as many details as possible about the decedents activity, task and location at the time of the incident. For falls and
drownings, please describe exact location. For struck or pinned by object injuries, please specify object or machine component. For
entanglements, please state whether clothing was involved. For tractor rollovers, please indicate whether the tractor had ROPS. For
machine injuries, please describe the machine in as much detail as possible.

If the injury was not machinery or vehicle related, complete Section B and then proceed to Section E.
If the injury was machinery or vehicle related, begin with Section C and continue.

CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada 32

 B. CAUSE OF INJURY NOT MACHINERY OR C. CAUSE OF INJURY MACHINERY OR D. TYPE OF MACHINERY
VEHICLE RELATED VEHICLE RELATED (Circle appropriate number if the injury event
1 crushed or struck by animal. Specify animal: 1 sideways rollover was machinery or vehicle related)
_______________________________ 2 backwards rollover 1 tractor
2 other type of animal injury. Specify animal: 3 unspecified rollover 2 auger. Specify whether freestanding,

_______________________________ 4 entangled/caught in machinery
attached to machine, or unknown (circle)
3 mower
3 fall from animal. Specify animal: 5 pinned or struck by machine component 4 power take off, specify machine PTO

_______________________________ or collapsing machine (specify) attached to:
4 struck by non-machine object
6 traffic collision on road or highway ____________________________
5 struck against non-machine object
7 operator fell from moving machine, not 5 baler
6 caught inside, under or between
runover, pinned, or struck by it 6 farm wagon/trailer
non-machine objects
7 combine
If 4 or 6, specify object: 8 operator fell from moving machine, then
8 power tool (not chainsaw)
_______________________________ runover, pinned, or struck by it 9 chainsaw
7 fall from height. Give specific fall location: 9 passenger fell from moving machine, 10 welder
_______________________________ not runover, pinned, or struck by it 11 harvester
8 fall on same level 10 passenger fell from moving machine, 12 plough/disk
9 jumped to lower level 13 hay elevator
then runover, pinned, or struck by it
10 overexertion 14 manure spreader
11 drowning 11 alighted operator/other person runover, 15 bulldozer, bob cat, skid steer
12 exposure to fire/explosion pinned, or struck by unmanned machine 16 motor vehicle. Specify:
13 contact with temperature extremes 12 alighted passenger runover, pinned, or ____________________________
14 contact with electric current struck by moving machine 17 off-road vehicle. Specify:
16 contact with radiation, caustic, toxic or
noxious substance by (circle):
13 bystander runover, pinned, or struck by ____________________________
moving machine 19 fencing equipment
inhalation ingestion absorption injection
20 spraying equipment
Specify agent: _____________________ 14 machine-related contact with electrical
22 garden equipment
18 asphyxiation by grain or soil. Specify: current 24 planting equipment
_______________________________ 15 machine related fire, explosion or burn 25 swather
19 firearm 16 machine collision off-road 26 rock picker
77 other non machine related. Specify: 17 machine-related drowning 27 snow blower
_______________________________ 18 struck by object falling or propelled from
28 airplane
88 unknown non machine related 77 other farm implement/machine. Specify:
machine (specify)
99 not applicable ____________________________
20 runover, pinned, or struck by moving 88 unknown
machine - unspecified 99 not applicable
77 other machine related. Specify:
____________________________
E. IMMEDIATE LOCATION OF INJURY 88 unknown machine related H. METHOD OF DISCOVERY
1 Field (includes dry ditches next to field) 99 not applicable Who found the deceased? (i.e. relationship
2 Barn to deceased)
If 5 or 18, specify object/component:
3 Silo/grain bin, (circle)
4 Shed ____________________________ ____________________________
5 Farmyard Was the injury event witnessed? (circle)
6 Road/highway (includes dry ditches) G. RELATIONSHIP OF INJURED PERSON Y N
7 Driveway (includes dry ditches) TO FARM OWNER/OPERATOR
8 Farm house 1 Operator (Indicate if the information is not available)
9 Farm road (includes dry ditches)
2 Spouse of farm operator I. NATURE OF INJURY BY BODY PART
10 Woods, orchard
11 Water source; includes water-filled ditch, 3 Child of farm operator e.g., NI1 crush injury, BP1 chest.
dugout, manure lagoon, sewage pit, etc. 4 Other relative of farm operator. Specify: (List from most to least serious injury, where
Specify: ____________________________ the most serious injury was the cause of
_______________________________ death.)
5 Hired worker
12 Corral/outdoor animal enclosure
6 Spouse of hired worker Nature of injury 1:
13..Other unspecified ditch/embankment/dyke
14 Trench 7 Child of hired worker
____________________________________
77 Other location. Specify: 8 Other relative of hired worker. Specify:
Body part 1:
_______________________________ ____________________________
88 Unknown ____________________________________
9 Other non-visiting child Nature of injury 2:
F. LOCATION OF DEATH 10 Other non-visiting adult
____________________________________
1 Found dead 11 Adult visitor or contractor Body part 2:
2 Died en route 12 Child visitor ____________________________________
3 Died in hospital 77 Other relationship. Specify:
77 Other location of death. Specify:
____________________________
_______________________________
88 Unknown 88 Unknown

J. ALCOHOL INVOLEMENT (effective 2012 date of death)

Was alcohol involved? Y N If yes, was the deceased tested for alcohol? Y N
If yes, was the test positive for alcohol? Y N If yes, what was the alcohol level?_____________________________
If yes, is this greater than the legal provincial level? Y N

33 CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada

 APPENDIX D: AGRICULTURE POPULATIONS

CA N A D I A N FA R M P O P U L A T I O N S BY AG E G R O U P A N D Y E A R ( I N C L U D I N G T E M P O R A R Y
F O R E I G N WO R K E R S )

AGE
GROUP 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997

1-4 74754 71847 68936 66027 63120 60209 57300 54391

5-9 96006 92752 89494 86238 82982 79726 76470 73214

10-14 110863 107555 104247 100941 97631 94323 91015 87707

15-19 100488 98313 96112 93939 91763 89576 87405 85227

20-29 117860 113496 108967 105037 100994 97077 92898 89083

30-39 192328 183965 175541 167405 159156 151260 143132 135344

40-49 170237 168251 166060 164069 162135 160173 158403 156805

50-59 124313 124133 123992 123870 123780 123686 123666 123692

60-69 97627 95579 93526 91487 89430 87384 85331 83293

70-79 36981 36944 36899 36858 36817 36776 36735 36694

>80 8252 8335 8418 8501 8586 8667 8751 8835

Total 1129709 1101170 1072192 1044372 1016394 988857 961106 934285

CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada 34

 AGE
GROUP 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

1-4 51482 48573 45664 42755 40997 39239 37481 35723

5-9 69958 66702 63446 60190 57152 54114 51076 48038

10-14 84399 81091 77783 74475 71739 69003 66267 63531

15-19 83049 80879 78701 76515 75056 73592 72136 70679

20-29 85823 82578 79462 76089 74769 73429 71928 70721

30-39 127594 120066 112260 104717 98818 92725 86898 81476

40-49 154834 152877 151231 149810 147063 144534 142055 139854

50-59 123519 123392 123246 123188 124627 126118 127617 129106

60-69 81242 79189 77146 75105 76181 77279 78375 79493

70-79 36653 36615 36574 36530 37107 37681 38255 38829

>80 8919 9003 9087 9171 9751 10331 10911 11491

Total 907472 880965 854600 828545 813260 798045 782999 768941

35 CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada

 AGE
GROUP 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

1-4 33965 33207 32449 31691 30933 30175 29417

5-9 45000 43480 41960 40440 38920 37400 35880

10-14 60795 58109 55423 52737 50051 47365 44679

15-19 69237 66365 63519 60623 57735 54869 51993

20-29 69600 67960 66293 63908 61960 59930 58123

30-39 75738 73713 72284 69442 67245 65071 62874

40-49 137485 130935 124563 117741 111104 104732 98084

50-59 130642 130761 130938 131085 131347 131702 131985

60-69 80576 82372 84196 85972 87784 89606 91425

70-79 39403 39869 40336 40797 41266 41730 42194

>80 12071 12235 12399 12563 12727 12891 13055

Total 754512 739006 724360 706999 691072 675471 659709

CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada 36

 DEFINITION CHANGE: The population
covered by the AgricultureNational Household
Survey Linkage database and the estimates derived
from it also changed in two ways in 2011. First,
the definition of the farming population changed.
In the years prior to 2011, only operators and
their families who resided on the farm at any
time in the previous 12 months were included
in the farming population. In 2011, the on-farm
restriction was removed. Operators and their
families not residing on a farm are also included.
Second, residents of collective dwellings were not
eligible to receive the National Household Survey
and, thus, are not represented in the Agriculture
National Household Survey Linkage database. The
new farm population definitions were applied to
the 1996, 2001, and 2006 census data. Therefore,
comparing rates presented in this report with
previous reports is not advised.
37 CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada
Numbers from the 1996, 2001, 2006 and 2011
Canada AgricultureNational Household Survey
were used to extrapolate the data for the years in
which the census was not performed. In addition
to the Canada AgricultureNational Household
Survey populations, temporary foreign workers
under the seasonal agriculture workers program
from Citizenship & Immigration Canada were
included.
Numbers from Citizenship & Immigration were
randomly rounded categories up or down by a
factor of five.
Populations do not include data for Yukon,
Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
 P E R C E N T AG E C H A N G E I N T H E CA N A D I A N FA R M P O P U L A T I O N BY AG E G R O U P
(INCLUDING TEMP ORARY FOREIGN WORKERS)

AGE GROUP 1990 2012 DIFFERENCE % CHANGE

1-4 74754 29417 -45337 -60.60%

5-9 96006 35880 -60126 -62.60%

10-14 110863 44679 -66184 -59.70%

15-19 100488 51993 -48495 -48.30%

20-29 117860 58123 -59737 -50.70%

30-39 192328 62874 -129454 -67.30%

40-49 170237 98084 -72153 -42.40%

50-59 124313 131985 7672 6.20%

60-69 97627 91425 -6202 -6.40%

70-79 36981 42194 5213 14.10%

>80 8252 13055 4803 58.20%

Total 1129709 659709 -470000 -41.60%

From 1990-2012 the overall Canadian agriculture population decreased by 42%. However, there has
been an increase in the older population. Those 80 years and older experienced the largest per cent
increase with 58%. Those 70 to 79 years of age experienced a 14% increase. The largest decrease in
population was experienced by those 30 to 39 years of age with a 67% reduction.

CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada 38

 APPENDIX E: CAIR COLLABORATORS

A special thank you to the CAIR collaborators (as of October 2016) for their hard work and dedication.

NATIONAL OFFICE/ ALBER TA BRITISH COLUMBIA

Kathy Belton, PhD Dr. Ian Pike

CAIR Co-Director Associate Director Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics,
Injury Prevention Centre University of British Columbia
School of Public Health, University of Alberta Director, British Columbia Injury Research and
4075 RTF 8308-114 Street Prevention Unit
University of Alberta Investigator and Research Theme Co-Lead,
Edmonton, AB T6G 2V2 Evidence to Innovation, BC Childrens Hospital
Tel. (780) 492-6019 F508 - 4480 Oak Street
Fax (780) 492-7154 Vancouver, BC V6H 3V4
Email: kathy.belton@ualberta.ca Telephone: (604) 875-3776
Fax: (604) 875-3569
Dr. Don Voaklander
Email: ipike@cfri.ca
Professor Associate
Injury Prevention Centre Fahra Rajabali
School of Public Health, University of Alberta Researcher
Edmonton, AB T6G 2G3 BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit
Tel. (780) 492-0454 F-508-4880 Oak Street
Fax (780) 492 7154 Vancouver, BC V6H 3V4
Email: don.voaklander@ualberta.ca Telephone: (604) 875-3572
Fax: (604) 875-3569
Colleen Drul
Email: frajabali@cfri.ca
CAIR National Coordinator
Injury Data Analyst
Injury Prevention Centre
School of Public Health, University of Alberta
Edmonton, AB T6G 2G3
Tel. (780) 492-9764
Fax (780) 492 7154
Email: colleen.drul@ualberta.ca

39 CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada

 S A S K A T C H E WA N ONTARIO

Dr. Niels Koehncke Sunitha Ravi Kumar

Director
Canadian Centre for Health and Safety in
Agriculture, University of Saskatchewan
Health Sciences Building, E Wing, RM 1250
104 Clinic Place, PO Box 23
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 2Z4
Tel. (306) 966-2387
Fax (306) 966-8799
E-mail: niels.koehncke@usask.ca
(Thanks to past CAIR collaborator, Louise Hagel)
Coordinator, Knowledge Translation
Parachute
150 Eglinton, Ave. West, Suite 300
Toronto, ON M4P 1E8
Telephone: (647) 776-5110
Email: sravikumar@parachutecanada.org
A T L A N T I C CA N A DA
( N OVA S C O T I A , N E W B R U N S W I C K ,
P R I N C E E D WA R D I S L A N D A N D
NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR)

Jennifer Russell
MANITOBA
Executive Director
Dr. Denise Koh Atlantic Collaborative on Injury Prevention
Chief Occupational Medical Officer PO Box 33103, RPO Quinpool Centre
Manitoba Labour and Immigration Halifax, NS B3L 4T6
Labour Programs - Workplace Safety and Health Telephone: (902) 424-3384
200 - 401 York Avenue Email: jrussell@acip.ca
Winnipeg, MB R3C 0P8
Telephone: (204) 945-3608
Fax: (204) 945-4556
Email: denise.koh2@gov.mb.ca

QUBEC

Mathieu Gagn
Institut national de sant publique du Qubec
945 Wolfe Avenue, 3rd Floor
Sainte-Foy, PQ G1V 5B3
Telephone: (418) 650-5115
Email: mathieu.gagne@inspq.qc.ca

CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL INJURY REPORTING Agriculture-Related Fatalities in Canada 40

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