An Economic Perspective on Determinants of Work-Related Accidents in Poland’s Agricultural Sector

Anetta Zielińska; Joanna Domagała

doi:10.53098/wir.2026.2.211/03

Authors

Anetta Zielińska Anetta Zielińska, PhD, Academy in Piotrków Trybunalski, Faculty of Social Sciences, 114/118 J. Słowackiegoc St., 97-300 Piotrków Trybunalski, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3807-805X
Joanna Domagała Joanna Domagała, DSc, Associate Professor, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Institute of Economics and Finance, 166 Nowoursynowska St., 02-787 Warsaw, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9801-4344

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53098/wir.2026.2.211/03

Keywords:

risk economy, accidents, agriculture, human resources

Abstract

Aim of the work: Work-related accidents are a significant socio-economic problem. This article reviewed pertinent literature and the research material analysed. The aim of this study was to analyse accidents in agriculture with respect to the selected economic theories and the key factors determining their occurrence.
Research method: The literature review was conducted as a narrative supported by bibliometric analysis. Publications indexed in the Web of Science and Scopus databases, supplemented by Google Scholar searches, were analysed to identify the dominant research trends and methodological approaches to occupational accidents in agriculture. In the empirical part of the study, secondary data obtained from the Poland’s Agricultural Social Insurance Fund (ASIF; Polish: KRUS) were analysed to examine the structure of occupational accidents in Polish agriculture over the period 2014–2024. Study results were generated through the use of time-trend analysis which enabled better understanding of causal changes in agricultural workplace accidents.
Key results: The results indicate that the number of accidents related to machine and equipment servicing and use are rising; accidents related to animal husbandry were stable but high.
Main conclusions: The fact that agricultural accidents caused by human error is the highest and rising is disturbing. The comparison of Poland’s agricultural accidents resulting from human error between 2014 and 2024 has risen by 33% and were caused by, among others, inappropriate conduct by farmers and/or employees. Analyses of long time series may improve understanding the conditions for said accidents in agriculture and becoming valuable in supplementing existing research.

References

Adhikari, S., Wilson, F., Rautiainen, R. (2024). Cost of agricultural injuries in the United States: Estimates based on surveillance, insurance, and government statistics. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 67(9), 801–812.

Bai, H., Beseler, Ch., Baccaglini, L., Rautiainen, R.H. (2023). Work-related stress as a risk factor for farm injuries in the Central United States. Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health, 29(1), 1–13.

Bailer, A.J., Reed, L.D., Stayner, L.T. (1997). Modeling fatal injury rates using Poisson regression: A case study of workers in agriculture, forestry, and fishing. Journal of Safety Research, 28(3), 177–186.

Becker, G.S. (1964). Human Capital: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis, with Special Reference to Education. University of Chicago Press.

Będzik, B., Gołąb, S., Będzik, O. (2025). Ryzyko wypalenia zawodowego wśród rolników. Wieś i Rolnictwo, 1(206), 7–34.

Coman, M.A., Marcu, A., Chereches, R.M., Leppälä, J., Van Den Broucke, S. (2020). Educational interventions to improve safety and health literacy among agricultural workers: A systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(3), 1114.

Davoudi Kakhki, F., Freeman, S.A., Mosher, G.A. (2019). Evaluating machine learning performance in predicting injury severity in agribusiness industries. Safety Science, 117, 257–262.

Facchinetti, D., Santoro, S., Galli, L.E., Pessina, D. (2021). Agricultural tractor roll-over related fatalities in Italy: Results from a 12 years analysis. Sustainability, 13(8), 4536.

Gorucu, S., Michael, J., Chege, K. (2022). Nonfatal agricultural injuries treated in emergency departments: 2015–2019. Journal of Agromedicine, 27(1), 41–50.

Hardaker, J.B., Lien, G., Anderson, J.R., Huirne, R.B.M. (2015). Risk Management in Agriculture. CABI.

Kahneman, D., Slovic, P., Tversky, A. (eds.). (1982). Judgment under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases. Cambridge University Press.

Ketenci, H.C. (2020). Deaths due to “patpat” accidents in the Black Sea Region, Turkey. Turkish Journal of Trauma and Emergency Surgery, 28(1), 78–83.

Kjestveit, K., Aas, O., Holte, K.A. (2021). Occupational injury rates among Norwegian farmers: A sociotechnical perspective. Journal of Safety Research, 77, 182–195.

Leigh, J.P. (2011). The Costs of Occupational Injury and Illness. University of Michigan Press.

Mermer, O., Liu, Y., Jennissen, Ch.A., Sonka, M., Demir, I. (2026). Agricultural injury severity prediction using integrated data-driven analysis: Global versus local explainability using SHAP. Safety, 12(1), 6.

Micheletti Cremasco, M., Caffaro, F., Giustetto, A., Vigoroso, L., Paletto, G., Cavallo, E. (2020). Tractor rollover protection: Is the incorrect use of foldable rollover protective structures due to human or to technical issues? Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 62(1), 64–76.

Nowak, A., Gradziuk, P., Jarosz-Angowska, A. (2025). Analiza porównawcza konkurencyjności rolnictwa i handlu rolno-spożywczego w krajach Grupy Wyszehradzkiej w ramach struktur Unii Europejskiej. Wieś i Rolnictwo, 2(207), 77–100.

Özdeş, T., Berber, G., Çelik, S. (2011). Death cases related to tractor overturns. Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Medical Sciences, 31(1), 133–141.

Reynolds, S.J., Groves, W. (2000). Effectiveness of roll-over protective structures in reducing farm tractor fatalities. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 18(4), 63–69.

Rondelli, V., Casazza, C., Martelli, R. (2018). Tractor rollover fatalities, analyzing accident scenario. Journal of Safety Research, 67, 99–106.

Surendran, A., McSharry, J., Di Domenico, R., Meredith, D., Meade, O., Malone, S., O’Hora, D. (2025). Deconstruction of farm machine-related safety interventions: A systematic review and narrative synthesis. Annals of Work Exposures and Health, 69(3), 233–250.

Wilkin, J. (2016). Instytucjonalne i kulturowe podstawy gospodarowania. Humanistyczna perspektywa ekonomii. Wydawnictwo Naukowe Scholar.

Wróbel, M. (2018). Modelowanie wypadków w technice rolniczej [unpublished master’s thesis]. Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences. https://agris.fao.org/search/en/providers/125456/records/68b6df1d68d9e6806700d312

Zielińska, A. (2017). Struktura sezonowości wypadków przy pracy w przemyśle spożywczym. Studia i Materiały. Miscellanea Oeconomicae, 21(4), 117–131.

Zielińska, A. (2025a). Accidents in agriculture and human capital: Trend analysis and forecasting in the context of development economics. Annals of the Polish Association of Agricultural and Agribusiness Economists, 27(4), 208–222.

Zielińska, A. (2025b). Analiza wskaźnikowa wypadkowości w rolnictwie [Indicator analysis of accident rate in agriculture]. Turystyka i Rozwój Regionalny, 24, 159–168.

Zielińska, A. (2026a). Assessment of the system, direction of changes, proposals for forecasting within the accident insurance system in Polish agriculture – implications for public policy. Ubezpieczenia w Rolnictwie. Materiały i Studia, 1(85), 225–247.

Zielińska, A. (2026b). Compensation costs for work related accidents in Polish agriculture = Koszty odszkodowań wypadków przy pracy w rolnictwie polskim. Zagadnienia Ekonomiki Rolnej = Problems of Agricultural Economics, 387(2), 112–130.

Zielińska, A., Bajdur, W. (2019a). Analiza predyktorów ciężkości wypadków przy pracy w aspekcie zarządzania przedsiębiorstwami produkcyjnymi. In: N. Iwaszczuk, P. Łebkowski (eds.). Zarządzanie przedsiębiorstwem. Teoria i praktyka. Abstrakty (p. 82). Wydawnictwo Instytutu Gospodarki Surowcami Mineralnymi i Energią PAN. http://www.kzp.zarz.agh.edu.pl/kzp2019_streszczenia.pdf

Zielińska, A., Bajdur, W. (2019b). Accident rates in Poland’s foodstuff industry from the perspective of occupational safety management in the European Union. Global Journal of Environmental Science and Management, 20(5), 72–77.

Zielińska, A., Bajdur, W. (2020). Occupational safety management in the European Union and soft factors in accident severity assessment. In: K.S. Soliman (ed.). Proceedings of the 35th International Business Information Management Association Conference (IBIMA), 1–2 April 2020 Seville, Spain. Education Excellence and Innovation Management: A 2025 Vision to Sustain Economic Development during Global Challenges (pp. 14347–14359). IBIMA Publishing. https://ibima.org/accepted-paper/occupational-safety-management-in-the-european-union-and-soft-factors-in-accident-severity-assessment/

Żywicka, A., Choina, P., Jarosz, M. (2021). Importance of legal regulations resulting from technical harmonization in the European Union for improvement of work safety of farmers in Poland. Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine, 28(3), 378–384.