Citation

Tolefree S, Truong A, Ward J, Dong F, Ablah E, Haan J. J. Agromed. 2017; 22(3): 259-263.

Affiliation

Department of Trauma Services , Via Christi Hospital Saint Francis , 929 N. Saint Francis St., Wichita , KS 67214 , USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/1059924X.2017.1318727

PMID

28406388

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The absence of a comprehensive database of grain elevator associated injuries hinders accurate evaluation of injury prevalence and may lead to discordant information about injury frequencies. The main purpose of this study was to identify the most common mechanisms of injury related to grain elevator events. Comparisons of hospital outcomes between patients who sustained traumatic injuries associated with grain elevators at Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulated industrial sites versus those on OSHA exempt farming operations were also made.

METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted of all patients' presenting with grain elevator-related injuries at a level-1 trauma center between 1/1/2003 and 12/31/2013. Data collected included: demographics, mechanism of injury, injury severity, hospitalization details, and discharge disposition. Data were summarized, and comparisons were made between the groups.

RESULTS: All patients (N=18) in the study were male, with a mean age of 37 years. Falls and caught in equipment each accounted for 27.8% of injuries. Among the 18 patients, there were a total of 37 injuries. The majority of injuries were either lower extremity (29.7%) or chest injuries (21.6%). The average hospital length of stay was 4 ± 4.5 days and one patient required mechanical ventilation. There were no reported deaths.

CONCLUSION: Literature reports entrapments as the leading cause of grain elevator related injuries; however, we found falls were the most common mechanism of injury. This suggests a greater emphasis should be placed on fall prevention.

Language: en

Keywords

Entrapment; Falls; Grain Elevators; Safety; Trauma