Workplace Injuries Among Farm Workers

There is one important type of worker that ensures you get food on your table every day: farm workers. These workers spend long hours caring for crops. They ensure fruit, vegetable, and nut trees and plants are watered thoroughly and picked when ripe.

These people work hard but don’t always get treated fairly. This is because most farm workers are Hispanic. They speak little or no English and are often undocumented workers. They do not have any families in the area. On top of that, they may experience racism.

This makes farm workers a vulnerable population. They have many things going against them. Plus, they often live in farm-owned housing, which is not the most comfortable situation. All this adds more vulnerability and fear.

Do farm workers have a lot to fear? Possibly, as surveys from 500 farm workers in New York show unfair treatment. The survey consisted of an open-ended question and 12 closed-ended questions. Most farm workers who took the survey were from Long Island.

The results of the survey may be eye-opening to some people. The key takeaways were that 25% of respondents experienced wage theft and 19% had suffered a workplace injury that caused them to miss work. Long hours were also common, with 44% of farm workers claiming that they often worked more than 60 hours per week.

Injuries are very common and often underreported. In 2020, there were 11,880 injuries requiring time off from work. Many of these injuries were classified as a sprain or strain. Farm work often involves the entire family, so it’s not uncommon for children to work on farms as well. They face dangers, too, with thousands of children injured on farms every year.

Fatalities on Farms

It’s also important to know that fatalities are common in the agricultural industry. In 2021, farm workers experienced one of the highest fatality rates, at 20 deaths per 100,000 full-time workers. This is much higher than the rate of 3.6 deaths per 100,000 workers for all U.S. industries.

Farm workers were most likely to suffer fatalities due to transportation accidents, such as tractor overturns and roadway crashes. Other causes of fatal accidents were slips, trips, falls, contact with objects and equipment, and violence by other people or animals. Older farm workers were most likely to get killed. In 2021, 65% of deaths in the agricultural industry happened to farm workers over the age of 55 years old.

Contact Us for More Information About Workers’ Compensation Benefits

There is a lack of safety in the agricultural field. Many employers take advantage of farm workers because of their race and lack of English proficiency.

A White Plains workers’ compensation lawyer from The Law Office of Michael Lawrence Varon can help you receive compensation for workplace injuries. Schedule a free initial consultation with our office by filling out the online form or calling (914) 228-1770.

Sources:

spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/news/2023/05/30/farmworker-report-gives-insight-into-wage-theft–workplace-injuries-

cdc.gov/niosh/topics/aginjury/default.html