Non-fatal agricultural injuries and first aid self-efficacy among greenhouse workers in Turkey

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to see if there was a link between first aid self-efficacy and the frequency of occupational accidents and non-fatal agricultural injuries in greenhouse agriculture workers. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 251 people in a district center. Sociodemographic, occupational accident, and injury questionnaires prepared by the researchers and the First Aid Self-Efficacy Scale were used to collect the data. SPSS 25.0 software was used to evaluate the data and descriptive statistics; the Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal Wallis analysis of variance were applied in the analysis. Results: 71.4% of the participants experienced an occupational accident by falling and slipping; 41.7% were slightly injured after the accident, and 63.2% experienced injuries in fractures, sprains, and crushes. We found that most injuries were in the lower extremities (33.2%), and 66.4% were admitted to the hospital. We ascertained that male workers’ median first-aid self-efficacy scores were significantly higher than those of female workers (p < .05). We determined there was no significant difference between first-aid self-efficacy scores according to other sociodemographic variables, occupational accidents, or injury data (p > .05). Conclusion: Occupational accidents and non-fatal agricultural injuries are common in greenhouse agriculture, and male workers have higher first-aid self-efficacy than female workers. Since green- house work is a hazardous line of work, providing simple medical first-aid training would be useful for those working in this field.