Click on “Download PDF” for the PDF version or on the title for the HTML version.

If you are not an ASABE member or if your employer has not arranged for access to the full-text, Click here for options.

Abstract. This research will explore the magnitude and human impact of agricultural incidents where the victim was determined to be alone at the time of injury or fatality. Underreporting on whether the victim was alone at the time of an incident continues to be a major problem in incident reporting. Discussion on the root causes and prevention strategies of alone agricultural incidents is lacking in the literature. Based on preliminary study and review of the literature, the majority of incident reports fully negate to include whether the victim was alone. Despite advancements in communication technologies, incident frequency and fatality rate of lone agricultural workers has remained consistently high. Hazards associated with working alone in agriculture include: 1) distance from emergency medical services (EMS) in remote areas, 2) lack of communication between the worker and their superior, coworker, or family member, 3) difficult access to communication devices if entangled, entrapped, or otherwise impaired, and 4) poor cellular coverage and remote or hilly/ wooded areas. As a victim that was working alone is often found hours or days after the incident occurred, fatality rate was found to be significantly higher than situations in which others were present. A summary of research on the impact of lone agricultural worker incidents including medical and resource costs, amount of labor time lost, as well as family and community impact will be assembled to assess the scope and magnitude of this problem. The purpose of conducting this summary will be to develop training materials and guidance on assistive technologies and equipment to be utilized by both lone agricultural workers and first responders.