Work-related injuries among farmers in El-Nakhas village, Al-Sharkia governorate

Background: Currently, there is no existing system for the surveillance and reporting of the incidence of farming accidents and hazards in Egypt. Also, research on accidents in the context of occupational safety regulations among these farmers is still scarce. The objective of the current study was to investigate the precipitating factors that might be triggering occupational accidents among farmers in Egypt. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 233 farmers in El-Nakhas village, Al-Sharkia governorate. The farmers were asked about work-related data and injury characteristics, using a semi-structured questionnaire. Results: All farmers were males, 95.7% were married, 72.1% were illiterate, and 57.5% were ≥ 50 years old. Only 25.8% were using personal protective equipment (PPE). A total of 170 farmers (72.9%) reported being injured in the last year. Injuries in the last year were significantly higher among illiterate farmers (95.2% versus 15.4%, p < 0.001), those not using PPE (80.9% versus 50.0%, p < 0.001), and those working =10 hours per day, respectively. Conclusions: Illiteracy, insufficent use of PEE, and excessive use of hand tools may increase the risk of work-related injuries among farmers. Awareness and training on the use of hand tools and PPE as well as registering farm injuries may reduce the prevalence of work-related injuries among farmers