Original articleSocial and Individual Influences on Tractor Operating Practices of Young Adult Agricultural Workers
Section snippets
Participants
Young adult agricultural workers were recruited from among students enrolled in agricultural science courses at four postsecondary institutions in the Midwest. These institutions included four-year and two-year degree programs and were selected based on the agricultural science courses they offer emphasizing agricultural production, their high student enrollment in the agricultural programs, and their placement of graduates in production agricultural settings. To participate in the study,
Demographics
Of the 242 students who completed the online survey, 80% (n = 193) indicated they routinely drove tractors and responded to the 12 tractor operating activity items. Of the 193 in this analysis, 80% were male, 97% reported being a full-time student, and 99% were white. Age groups and institution types were equally represented. Sixty-four percent indicated they were primarily employed on their family farm, 34% indicated they were primarily employed on a nonfamily or nonrelatives farm, and 2%
Discussion
Similar to the demographic characteristics of the Midwest where the farming population is over 95% white, the study population was 99% white and majority male, consistent with agricultural workers and farmers in the Midwest (United States Department of Agriculture, 2014) [18].
Consistent with previous findings of adult farmers, results from this study indicate a majority of young adult agricultural workers do not wear the seatbelt when operating a tractor that has a ROPS, do not wear hearing
Funding Sources
This project was funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health by the Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health (NIOSH U54 OH007548). In addition, tuition and stipend support was provided from the Heartland Center for Occupational Safety and Health (42OH008491) from the Centers for Disease Control/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
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Conflict of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.