UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (WTAJ) — The results are in from Penn State’s 2024 Pennsylvania Farm Fatal Injury study, and the numbers took a dip from previous years.
The report, found here, cites 19 known agricultural fatalities in 2024 – lower than the average 28 deaths per year. Of the 19, over 80% were male, and close to 50% were aged 65 or older. Florence Becot, author of the study, says the circumstances surrounding the fatalities can “fluctuate a lot,” but the leading cause is well known.
“In Pennsylvania, the number one killer is a tractor rollover,” Becot said. “So, this is essentially when the tractor rolls and someone gets pinned under the tractor.”
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To learn more about the deaths, Becot says she turns to local news and other sources to get the data she needs. But, that method requires the death to actually be reported in the first place, which is why the study is limited to just fatalities.
“The reason why we don’t have injuries included is that they’re a lot harder to track. It requires a different type of data to collect,” Becot said. “And, also, they’re not always reported.”
To help round out the report, she relies on community input. She takes a map with pins from the last decade of deaths to different farm shows, which allows her to get feedback. Becot says people have the chance to let her know if they think a death is missing and give more details.
The whole goal of the study is to improve safety in the agricultural industry by identifying the problem areas.
“It’s very similar to when we do research on traffic accidents, on crashes, and we want to understand what are the different ways that people are dying so that we can reduce those,” Becot said.
According to her, the data collected in these reports are used to teach first responders with hands-on training. The next farm show Becot plans to be at is Ag Progress Days later in 2025.
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If you suspect a death was not reported, email Becot at [email protected]. The research team is also conducting a survey to better understand safety in the agricultural space, which can be found here.
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