Introduction
Currently, farms have significant potential for agricultural production and employ a large number of workers. In addition, not all farm personnel are skilled and understand the details of combine harvesters or tractors, which is why they can get injured while working. Thus, it is essential to identify the population group involved in farming, their problems, health determinants, and the nurse’s role in agriculture.
Population Groups Involved in Agriculture and Their Health Problems
It is noteworthy that a substantial portion of the mature male population in Canada is engaged in farming. Consequently, the level of participation of women and children is low because farm work requires a lot of physical labor or skills to operate machinery (School of Public Health, 2018). Therefore, people working on farms are usually middle-aged men with experience using machinery.
At the same time, people working on farms or their owners risk premature death. That is because they work with a lot of machinery that can break down. For example, the most common cause of death worldwide among people involved in agriculture is the over-repair of tractors and combines (School of Public Health, 2018). Simultaneously, many people do not die but are injured and disabled.
Injuries are common on farms because workers hook up additional appliances to tractors or combine them without any protective measures for their health. Accidents can occur if a sweatshirt sleeve gets caught in any part of the appliance, resulting in a person being pulled into the machine. In this way, individuals have health concerns (School of Public Health, 2018). Those working on the farm are at risk of traumatization due to the heavy loads or failure to follow safety procedures when working with tractors or harvesters.
The Three Determinants of Health
Engineering
However, three determinants of health are designed to reduce injuries: engineering, education, and enforcement. In the case of engineering, it is crucial to improve the technique to avoid crashes, for instance, by installing a hazard detector, airbags, or additional fuses. Accordingly, engineering is related to designing, constructing, and enhancing agricultural equipment and machinery (Ngajilo& Jeebhay, 2019). As a result, using this determinant can reduce workers’ risk of injury and death.
Education
Additionally, education is a crucial determinant of health, as understanding the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol can prevent farmers from operating machinery. Meanwhile, learning the basic principles of tractors or combines will enable hired employees to be more cautious with them and avoid hazardous situations.
Enforcement
Finally, enforcement is a safety and labor issue that employees must comply with, and farm owners must actively implement the introductory labor law provisions (Perry, 2018). Hence, improved training, enhanced technology, and implementation of farm safety measures are the three determinants of the health of individuals involved in farm work.
Three Points for Nurses
Importantly, nurses should be aware of the special hazards associated with the farming profession. Thus, they must supplement the first aid kit with painkillers to curb pain during injuries until they arrive at the hospital. Additionally, nurses must enhance their skills and offer psychological support to employees who have witnessed significant injuries while working on the farm (Wei et al., 2018). This is important to help them not become the next victims of machinery. Finally, nurses should consider that they are responsible for teaching employees first aid. This is because accidents sometimes occur in the fields, and help is required immediately.
Conclusion
Therefore, middle-aged men are most often injured when working on farms. However, there are three ways to protect their health: engineering, education, and enforcement. Moreover, the combination of improved machinery, education, and enhanced safety enforcement will help prevent work-related deaths. Furthermore, farm nurses should be equipped with medical supplies that meet the farm’s basic requirements, train healthcare workers, and provide psychological support.
References
Ngajilo, D., & Jeebhay, M. F. (2019). Occupational injuries and diseases in aquaculture–a review of literature. Aquaculture, 507, 40-55.
Perry, J. A. (2018). Living at work and intra-worker sociality among migrant farm workers in Canada. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 19(4), 1021-1036.
School of Public Health. (2018). Old MacDonald had a farm injury. YouTube.
Wei, H., Sewell, K. A., Woody, G., & Rose, M. A. (2018). The state of the science of nurse work environments in the United States: A systematic review. International Journal of Nursing Sciences, 5(3), 287-300.