PUBLIC HEALTH PERSPECTIVE ON FARM INJURIES : YOUNG WORKERS AND

MIGRANT WORKERS

Guillaume BurigusaMathieu Gagné

Serge André GirardPierre Maurice

OCTOBER 10th 2013

2

Plan

Context The farm: a place where people live as well as work

General content

The public health approach

Methodoloy

Scop of farm injuries of young workers and migrant workers

Young workers

Migrant workers

Solutions Young workers

Migrant workers

Recommendations

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Context

4

Farm as both workplace and home

Farming is among the most hazardous occupations

Prevention Strategies implemented largely focus on workers (CSST)

Farm is a place where people live as well as work

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Context

Section 54 of the Public Health Act

«Section 54 of the Public Health Act assigns the Minister of Health and Social Services the role of advisor to the government on public health issues »

Revision of agro-food policy : an oppurtunity to contribute to the health of the population

Part of a series of reports on Public Policy(http://www.inspq.qc.ca/politiquespubliques/page/Collection-politiques-publiques-et-sante.aspx)

Brief submitted for public consultations on The green paper for a Québec agri-food policy

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General content

Social, economic and legal environments

Scope and evolution of injuries

Major risk factors and vulnerable groups

Effective interventions and programs

Recommendations to improve farm safety: target groups and specific problems

http://www.inspq.qc.ca/publications/notice.asp?E=p&NumPublication=1302

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Public Health Approach to Injury Prevention

Define the Problem

Identify Causes and Risk factor

Develop and Test Interventions

Implement Effective

Interventions

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Public health approach(principles)

#1 Actions targeting various factors: human factors, technological factors, environmental factors (physical, economical and socio-legal)

#2 Mixed strategies: Education, Engineering and Public Policy (laws and regulations)

#3 Supports measures affecting the environment and technology rather than individual behavior

Difficulty in changing behavior, often temporary effect

Permanent solution that is on every one

Education is necessary but insufficient

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Methodology

Data Analysis

Literature review

Validation by a support committee

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Scope of the problem

Death rates due to farm-related injuries, by age groups, with and without FTE Correction, Québec, 1994-2007

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15 à 19 20 à 29 30 à 39 40 à 49 50 à 59 60 à 69 70 à 79 80 et + 1

50

5

11

1216

2548

100125

6

14

1114

25

52

109136Décès

Décès (ETC)

Age Group

Ra

te b

y 1

00

00

0 p

ers

on

s

DeathDeath(FTE)

60 to 6930 to 3915 to 19 80 and +50 to 5940 to 4920 to 29 70 to 79

Hospitalization rates due to farm-related injuries, by age groups, with and without FTE correction, Québec, 1994-2008

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15 à 19 20 à 29 30 à 39 40 à 49 50 à 59 60 à 69 70 à 79 80 et + 50

97

167

190 170191

281

686

1506

123

212

174154

192

307

748

1642Hospitalisations

Age Group

Ra

te b

y 1

00

00

0 p

ers

on

s

60 to 6930 to 3915 to 19

Hospitalizations

80 and +50 to 5940 to 4920 to 29 70 to 79

Hospitalizations (FTE)

Incidence rate of occupational injuries recognized by the CSST among farm workers, Quebec, 2006

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15 to 24 25 to 39 40 to 49 50 to 59 60 and older0

10

20

30

Age group

Inc

ide

nc

e r

ate

of

oc

cu

pa

tio

na

l in

juri

es

re

co

gn

ize

d b

y t

he

CS

ST

Incidence rate of occupational injuries recognized by the CSST among farm workers, FTE correction, Quebec, 2006

14

Overall farm workers:21 injuries by 1 000 FTE-workers

15 to 24 25 to 39 40 to 49 50 to 59 60 and older0

10

20

30

Age group

Inc

ide

nc

e r

ate

of

oc

cu

pa

tio

na

l in

juri

es

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co

gn

ize

d b

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CS

ST

Distribution of occupational injuries recognized by the CSST among farm workers, aged 15 to 24 years, Quebec, 2006

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Cause of the injury Nature of Injury

Machine-related; 35,1%

Animal-related; 23.8%

Hand tools; 12.6%

Others; 28,5%

Fractures; 18%

Injuries to muscles, tendons, etc.; 16%

Open wounds; 25%

Contusions; 27%

Others; 14%

Number of positions filled by temporary foreign workers in agriculture, Quebec, 2003-2012

16

Positions filled by FERME

Incidence rate of occupational injuries recognized by the CSST among farm workers, Québec, 2006 (2010 estimation)

17

15-24 ans 25-39 ans 40-49 ans 50-59 ans 60 ans et +0

10

20

30

16 15

9

7

3

16

Inc

ide

nc

e r

ate

of

oc

cu

pa

tio

na

l in

juri

es

re

-c

og

niz

ed

by

th

e C

SS

T

Migrants

Overall farm workers :10 injuries by 1 000 workers

•Risk 1.6 times higher compares with all workers

60 and +50 to 5940 to 4925 to 3915 to 24

Age Group

Incidence rate of occupational injuries recognized by the CSST among farm workers, Québec, 2006 (2013 estimation)

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15-24 ans 25-39 ans 40-49 ans 50-59 ans 60 ans et +0

10

20

30

19

27

20

18

12

16

Inc

ide

nc

e r

ate

of

oc

cu

pa

tio

na

l in

juri

es

re

-c

og

niz

ed

by

th

e C

SS

T

Migrants

Overall farm workers :21 injuries by 1 000 workers

•Risk 0.76 times compares with all workers

60 and +50 to 5940 to 4925 to 3915 to 24

Age Group

15-24 ans 25-39 ans 40-49 ans 50-59 ans 60 ans et +0

10

20

30

24 24

18 18

13

16

Inc

ide

nc

e r

ate

of

oc

cu

pa

tio

na

l in

juri

es

re

-c

og

niz

ed

by

th

e C

SS

TIncidence rate of occupational injuries recognized by the CSST among farm workers, FTE correction, Québec, 2006 (2013 estimation)

19Migrants

Overall farm workers :21 injuries by 1 000 FTE-workers

•Risk 0.76 times compares with all workers

•Average stay of 21 weeks in Québec

60 and +50 to 5940 to 4925 to 3915 to 24

Age Group

Risk factors

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Specific to young workers

Lack of experience

Risk taking

Spécifiques aux travailleurs migrants/immigrants

Barrière linguistique

Méconnaissance des droits

Risk factors

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Spécifiques aux jeunes travailleurs

Manque d’expérience

Prise de risque élevée

Specific to migrant workers

Language and cultural barriers

Lack of knowledge about their legal rights

Relationship of dependency with respect to employment, and in relation to the employer (high risk taking, under-reporting of injuries)

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Solutions

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Preventive measures: young workers

No evaluations published in the literature. No specific measures identified.

Measures associated with specific mechanisms (tractor and other machinery, falls ...) apply

Vocational training: an opportunity

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Preventive measures: migrant workers

No evaluations published in the literature. No specific measures identified.

Measures associated with specific mechanisms (tractor and other machinery, falls ...) apply

Rights information = promising avenues

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Recommendations

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Recommendation 10

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In the spirit of recommendation 24 in the Pronovost Commission’s report (2008) and in cooperation with its partners (UPA, CSSST, FERME, TUAC, AGRIcarrières), the MAPAQ should enhance intake mechanisms for migrant workers and develop tools to help employers fulfil their responsibilities as outlined in section 51 of the Act respecting occupational health and safety

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Recommendation 13

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The MELS and the CSST and their main partners in vocational and technical education (Fédération des Cégeps, vocational training centers, MAPAQ, UPA, AGRIcarrières) should ensure that training programs accord a preponderant place to injury prevention.

o These programs should include a practical component, focus on the the development of safe work practices, propose principles of safe management of work and identify the strengths and limitations of various prevention strategies (elimination at source, administrative measures, limiting the access to dangerous areas, use of protective equipment, etc.).

o These programs should include safety considerations of people who live in, or visit the farm.

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Recommendation 1

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Develop a farm-injury prevention program for Québec’s agricultural industry under the leadership of a government body.

o This recommendation include access to better and valid data

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Thank youwww.inspq.qc.ca