Agricultural Safety: 2008 Injuries to 

Adults on Racial Minority-Operated 

ISSN: 2156-3454 Farms

Released August 5, 2010, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of 

Agriculture (USDA).

Occupational Injuries to Adults on Racial Minority Farms in the United States, 2003 and 2008

In 2003, an estimated 1,639 work-related injuries occurred to adults 20 years of age and older working on 56,900 racial 

minority-operated farms in the United States, for a rate of 2.9 injuries per 100 farms. These injuries occurred to farm 

operators, farm family members, hired farm workers, and unpaid adult visitors working on the farm operation in 2003. 

In 2008, while the estimated number of injuries increased to 2,053 on 85,250 racial minority-operated farms, the injury 

rate declined to 2.4 injuries per 100 farms. These findings are based on two separate telephone surveys of racial minorityoperated farms conducted by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) for the National Institute for 

Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Farm operators were asked questions about injuries to adults 20 years of age 

and older working on their farms in both surveys. An injury was defined as any condition occurring on the farm operation 

resulting in at least 4 hours of restricted activity or requiring professional medical attention.

Males accounted for the majority of the injuries reported in both surveys: 1,160 agricultural-related work injuries occurred 

to males in 2003, while 1,471 injuries occurred to males in 2008. In both years, adults 45 to 54 years of age incurred the 

greatest proportion of the injuries: 24 percent in 2003 and 31 percent in 2008. Individuals under the age of 35 years 

incurred less than 15 percent of all adult farm injuries on these racial minority-operated farms in both survey years.

By specific racial categories, farms operated by Native Americans reported the highest number of injuries in both 2003 

(574 injuries) and 2008 (1,062 injuries). Overall, the number of injuries per 100 farms decreased from 2003 to 2008 for 

each of the four racial categories examined. Asian-operated farms had the largest decline going from 5.6 injuries per 

100 farms in 2003 down to 2.5 injuries per 100 farms in 2008. 

For both 2003 and 2008, adults living in the farm household accounted for most of the reported injuries. In 2003 

household adults account for 68 percent of all work-related injuries, while in 2008 household adults accounted for almost 

78 percent of these injuries. In 2003, household adults were injured at a rate of 8.1 injuries per 1,000 household adults 

(981 total injuries). In 2008, the rate of injury for household adults increased to 10.2 injuries per 1,000 household adults 

(1,527 total injuries). Of the household adult injuries in 2003, 26 percent were to adults 45 to 54 years of age, with 

30 percent occurring to people 55 years of age and older. The age distribution for the injuries to household adults in 

2008 was 34 percent for adults 45 to 54 years of age, with an additional 47 percent occurring to those 55 years of age and 

older.

NIOSH sponsored this survey to better understand the magnitude and scope of working agricultural-related injuries to 

adults working on racial minority-operated farms. The survey was conducted as part of the NIOSH Occupational Injury 

Surveillance of Production Agriculture project. For further information, contact John Myers, NIOSH, at (304) 285-6005 

or Mark Gutierrez, USDA/NASS, at (202) 690-2389.
2 Agricultural Safety: 2008 Injuries to Ad Racial Minority Operated Farms (August 2010)

USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

Adult Agricultural-Related Injuries on Racial Minority-Operated Farms - United States: 2003 and 2008

[Estimates may not add due to rounding]

Operator race1

Year

2003 2008

Total injuries In business 

farms2

Injuries per 100 

farms

Total injuries In business 

farms2

Injuries per 100 

farms

Black 418 26,565 1.6 313 28,162 1.1

Native American 574 14,566 3.9 1,062 33,279 3.2

Asian 359 8,596 4.2 291 11,799 2.5

Multiple races 288 7,174 4.0 387 12,011 3.2

Total 1,639 56,900 2.9 2,053 85,250 2.4

1 Operators of Hispanic Descent could also have potentially been reported under any of the listed racial groups.

2

Farm counts are benchmarked to the 2007 Census of Agriculture.

Adult Agricultural Work-Related Injuries on Racial Minority-Operated Farms - United States: 2003 and 

2008

[Estimates may not add due to rounding]

Operator race1

Year

2003 2008

Population2Total injuries Injuries per 1000 

adults Population2

Total injuries Injuries per 

1000 adults

Black 153,747 418 2.7 160,130 313 2.0

Native American 106,178 574 5.4 191,594 1,062 5.5

Asian 64,125 359 5.6 116,538 291 2.5

Multiple races 50,221 288 5.7 82,543 387 4.7

Total 374,272 1,639 4.4 550,805 2,053 3.7

1 Operators of Hispanic Descent could also have potentially been reported under any of the listed racial groups..

2

Indicated populations from the survey of household adults, working visiting adults, and hired adults combined.

Household Adult Agricultural Work-Related Injuries on Racial Minority-Operated 

Farms - United States: 2003 and 2008

[Estimates may not add due to rounding]

Operator race1

Year

2003 2008

Population2Total injuries Injuries per 1000 

adults Population2

Total injuries Injuries per 

1000 adults

Black 54,744 300 5.5 41,593 252 6.1

Native American 30,388 380 12.5 63,285 858 13.6

Asian 20,632 71 3.4 19,446 123 6.3

Multiple races 14,848 231 15.6 20,622 294 14.2

Total 120,612 981 8.1 144,947 1,527 10.2

1 Operators of Hispanic Descent could also have potentially been reported under any of the listed racial groups..

2 Adults 20 years of age and older living on the farm.
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