Farm health and safety issues: do men and women differ in their perceptions?

This study identifies gender specific farm health and safety issues. Based on a sample from the 1988 New York Farm Family Survey, descriptive statistics and exploratory factor analysis were used to establish unique gender based profiles in terms of labor force participation, and prioritization of farm health and safety issues, concerns, and information sources. Based on the factor analysis, women's main farm health and safety issues included physical problems and occupational hazard screening needs, provider integrity, and economic incentives. Men's main issues consisted of accident related counseling needs, skin related hazards, and the farm related convenience of the services. Men and women had statistically significant differences in the types of information sources and reasons for using farm health and safety services. These differences imply that farm health and safety providers must consider both gender related information gathering and farm health and safety prioritizations to more efficiently allocate intervention resources, more effectively promote safety, and reduce the incidence of occupationally related morbidity and mortality in agriculture.