Section 2: Focus- Preventing Slips and Falls for Farmers/Ranchers with Mobility Impairments

Section 2 Focus: Preventing Slips and Falls For Farmers/Ranchers with Mobility Impairments

Falls, whether caused by a slip, loss of balance, or poor vision, are the leading cause of injury, disability, placement in nursing homes, and premature death in elderly Americans.1 Recently, the American Geriatrics Society developed guidelines to help older people prevent falls.2 While developing these guidelines, the authors recognized that falls are generally the result of an interaction of multiple and/or diverse risk factors and situations, many of which could be corrected. Furthermore, this interaction could be modified by the person's age and disease (or lack thereof), and by the environmental hazards present.

Across the country, the average age of the farmer/rancher continues to increase. Combining that fact with the fact that farmers and ranchers with a disability work in dangerous environments, the probability of slips and falls would seem to be inevitable.

In fact, secondary injuries due to slips and falls are all too common for farmers/ranchers affected by disabilities. Back injuries, strokes, leg amputations, neuromuscular impairments, and other mobility impairments can impact stability when walking on slippery or uneven surfaces. "According to the National Safety Council 27.7% of slips and falls occur either at work or while working in the house/yard."3 The risk of secondary injuries due to a slip or fall increases for farmers/ranchers with mobility impairments.

A mobility impairment can increase the risk of a slip or fall injury due to lack of sensation in the foot causing an inability to feel the shoe slipping, or inability to react quickly when the foot does slip. Overall stability and balance can also be affected by the mobility impairment, further increasing the risk of a fall. The next section focuses on various assistive technology solutions that can help to reduce slips or falls that can cause a secondary injury.

1. Hoyert, D. L., K. D. Kochanek, and S. L. Murphy. 1999. Deaths: Final Data for 1997. National vital statistics reports. Publication 47-19. Hyattsville, Md: National Center for Health Statistics.

2. American Geriatrics Society, British Geriatrics Society, & American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons Panel on Falls Prevention. 2001. Guidelines for prevention of falls in older persons. Journal of American Geriatric Society. 49:664-672.

3. National Safety Council, 2001. Injury Facts. 22.

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In This Issue
Section 1: Client Story—An On-the-Job Fall Changed Jyl Waters' Life Section 2: Preventing Slips and Falls for Farmers/Ranchers with Mobility Impairments Section 3: Assistive Technology Notes	Section 4: State Project Feature—Iowa AgrAbility Project Section 5: Resources