As every farmer knows, winter’s a great time for planning. In addition to the usual focus on seed ordering, crop rotation, pest management etc., another topic worth considering is staying healthy — because, as every farmer also knows, an injury or disability can quickly throw all the other plans out the window.

Take one too-common example: musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), which involve injury to muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints or bones. MSDs such as lower-back pain are the leading cause of disability for Americans in their working years, and they are considered “near epidemic” in agriculture. One study, for example, found that people working in production agriculture had a one-year prevalence of back pain that was roughly 1½ times higher than the average for all U.S. industries. For women in particular, farming is the number-one occupation associated with MSDs, and it’s associated with the second-highest severity of disability among women.

The cost to society – and to quality of life – is staggering. Yet according to researchers Larry Chapman (University of Wisconsin-Madison) and James Meyers (University of California-Berkeley), “work-related musculoskeletal disorders are so common among experienced farmers and farm workers that many perceive them as no more than normal and inevitable consequences of farm labor.”

It doesn’t have to be this way, though. Understanding the causes and prevention of MSDs can make a huge difference in how you feel and ensure as many years of farming as you want or need.

Among the highest risk behaviors in agriculture are lifting and carrying heavy loads (> 50 pounds for men, less for women); sustained or repeated full body bending (stooping); and highly repetitive hand work such as clipping and cutting. Other risk factors include excessive physical strain; twisting, either at the waist or of individual joints such as wrists; full-body vibration, especially risky for women; and doing virtually any task repetitively. Heightened risks come with combinations of the above, such as twisting while lifting or straining while twisted (think 3-point hitch & stubborn, heavy implement.)

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, MSDs are preventable by redesigning the work process and redesigning tools and equipment using the principles of ergonomics. The former can include simple but powerful changes, such as practicing healthy lifting (bending knees, not back; keeping the object close to the body; getting help to lift excessive weights); squatting instead of stooping; and varying tasks frequently throughout the day. 

Ergonomic equipment and tools, meanwhile, are those that fit the user and that improve comfort, performance, health and safety. Unfortunately, finding truly ergonomic tools isn’t always easy; as awareness of ergonomics has grown, so has the number of companies labeling their products as “ergonomic” – whether they are, or not.

Fit is a crucial component of ergonomics because it influences how well a tool works and also how comfortable and safe it is to use. Back in the days when blacksmiths custom-made tools, tools that fit were the norm. But since the advent of mass production, a one-size-fits-all mentality has relegated countless people to using tools that don’t really fit them (think handle that’s too long or too short, tractor pedal that’s too far away, hand controls that don’t fit, rototiller that’s too big and heavy to maneuver easily, right-handed pruner for left-handed user etc.) The problem has been especially acute for women, who’ve had to use tools and equipment made for the “average” man, who is not only taller than they are but also has much more upper body strength, muscle mass etc.  In fact, anatomical and physiological differences mean men and women literally use tools differently – women tend to put a shovel blade in the ground at an angle, for example, because they don’t have the upper body strength to power it straight into the ground like a man would.
In order to find tools and equipment that are ergonomically correct for you, look for products that:

• Allow your joints to remain in a neutral (non-twisted) position – for example, “pistol grips” at the end of hoes that allow your wrist to remain straight

• Have grips or handles that comfortably fit your hands, without requiring too much constriction of the fingers (grip too small) or stretching (grip too big)

• Allow your back to remain as straight as possible – for example, extra-long-handled hoes that allow you to hoe without bending over, or auxiliary handles for shovels, rakes etc. that provide added lifting leverage and minimize bending

• Are adjustable – for example, wheel hoes whose handle height can be easily adjusted between users

• Come in various sizes – for example, the shovel-spade hybrid HERS™ that we recently introduced at Green Heron
Tools (www.greenherontools.com). Scientifically designed based on women’s bodies and how women shovel, it comes in three sizes, determined by height.

• Are custom-made, such as scythes offered by Scythe Supply (www.scythesupply.com) or Marugg (www.themaruggcompany.com).

• Aren’t excessively heavy.

• Minimize strain, lifting etc. A good tractor quick-hitch that allows the driver to stay in the tractor seat while connecting and disconnecting implements, for example, is in a sense ergonomic for everyone.

The work you do as a farmer is critical to the health of your community. And the way that you work is critical to your own health. The two go together. Wishing everyone a healthy, prosperous 2012!

Liz Brensinger, MPH & Ann Adams, RN, MSN, own Green Heron Tools & Green Heron Farms, New Tripoli, PA; www.greenherontools.com