Farming isn't easy, and it isn't always safe. Working long hours in the sun; dealing with heavy, complicated machinery; and handling a variety of animals expose farmers to everything from skin cancer to serious injury from equipment. Being a job that has to be done in order to provide not only food, but also many products for the world, its something that is very vital for everyone. People tend to think that farming is an easy job. They assume there is no pressure behind the job because there is no one superior to them. Farming is not easy because it is a stressful and hazardous job. .
Farming has become one of the most stressful occupations. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health recently examined 130 occupations and found laborers and farm owners had the highest rate of deaths due to stress-related conditions like heart and artery disease, hypertension, ulcers, and nervous disorders. Farm stress stirs up many images; racing to town to buy spare parts and finding they have to be ordered, listening to the radio and hearing the market drop daily and your bin stands filled with last year's crop, rushing to get the hay baled before a storm, watching a hail storm wipe out a year's labor, working late into the night on bone-jarring equipment or getting more and more frustrated, irritated, and tired of the whole mess. .
Although agriculture is stressful, it is also considered between the 2nd and 4th most dangerous occupation based on fatalities. The fatal outcome rate for farming is 4 times more than for all occupations combined. The fatality rate for all occupations combined is 9 per 100,000 whereas farm fatalities are 48 per 100,000. The most common time for accidents and injuries to occur is during the warm weather months especially summer and fall. These are the traditional months that farmers are mostly active in the field. .
There are a lot of reasons for the increased risk of injury on the farm.