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.

Highlights

29 recent agricultural-related fatalities or injuries occurring throughout the state of Indiana were analyzed using geospatial incident analysis.

Abstract. A total of 29 recent agricultural-related injuries and fatalities throughout the state of Indiana were identified and analyzed for their proximity to cellular towers and emergency medical services (EMS). The objective of this research was to identify relationships between selected agricultural incidents and the ability of the victim to successfully contact emergency services. The geographic information system (GIS) software ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online were utilized for trend identification and analysis. Findings from this analysis showed that only one EMS provider was most likely to be found within five miles of a given incident location. This frequency increased to seven EMS providers when the proximity range was increased to ten miles of a given incident location. The analysis also showed that only one cellular tower was most likely to be within a 10-mile radius of a given incident. There were frequently no accessible towers within five miles of a given incident. In addition, identified incidents were overlaid on a digital elevation map (DEM) of Indiana for analysis on the relationship between elevation and the number of accessible cell towers in the area. Studies have confirmed that victims of serious agricultural-related injuries, especially while working alone, face significant barriers in alerting EMS of their need for assistance. Geospatial analysis techniques performed in this study can be utilized by other states to assess access to EMS and for larger-scale, agricultural incident analysis. These tools have the potential to improve detail in agricultural incident reporting.