Presentation at the Women Managing the Farm Conference on February 6, 2015 in Manhattan, Kansas

1. Women in Agriculture:
Your Body Your Tools
Kerri Ebert
Kansas AgrAbility Project
K-State Research and Extension

2. Objectives
 How women are involved in agriculture
 Physical differences between women and men
 Why those differences matter
 Types of common injuries to women
 Injury prevention strategies

3. Women in Agriculture
 In 2012 Ag Census women farm operators
represented 30% of total farm operators
 Women principal operators were 14% of all
principle operators
 While total principal operators decreased between
2007 and 2012 the number of women age 65+ who
are principal operators increased by 3%
 Number of women who have been on their present
farm for 10+ years increased by 6%

4. Female operated farms
tend to be:
 Smaller, fewer acres, lower sales
 More diversified
 Less mechanized
 Adoptors of sustainable practices and/or organic
producers
 Involved in direct sales to consumers
Globally women produce more than half the food
grown in the world and 60%-80% of the food in most
developing countries

5. Women in Agriculture
 Assumption: Women don’t work in dangerous
professions
 Women farm; farming is dangerous
 Tend to be older than male operators
 Tend to perform multiple roles in the family:
homemaker, child care, off-farm job, caregiver, and
farm tasks
 Third shift phenomenon
 Stress impacts health

6. Our Bodies are Significantly
Different from Men’s Bodies
 40-75% less upper body strength
 5-30% less lower body strength
 Smaller stature (avg. female is 5” shorter than avg. male)
 More fat tissue
 Narrower shoulders
 Wider hips
 Proportionally shorter legs & arms
 Smaller grips, grip strength 50-67% that of males
 Greater flexibility
 Lower center of gravity

7. Our Bodies are Significantly
Different from Men’s Bodies
 Menstrual cycles influence our bodies
 Ligaments are more stretchy the week prior to period
 Ligaments get more stiff at the onset of the period
 Water retention may contribute to carpal tunnel symptoms
 Knee joint angle is greater due to broader hips
 13° in males, 18° in females
 Knees under slightly more stress
 Stature
 Tools and workstations may not be designed for our frames
 Strength
 May play a role in injury cause or prevention

8. So…how do injuries happen?
 Direct trauma
 Acute injuries such as a trip & fall or intense pain when
lifting something heavy
 Indirect trauma
 Chronic injuries such as back pain from milking cows
twice a day for 25 years or numbness in your hand from
years of using power tools
We will focus on chronic injuries or indirect trauma today.

9. Chronic Injuries
 Musculoskeletal injuries that result over time from a
variety of factors
 Tool/worksite design
 Bodymechanics
 Stress
 Level of fitness
 Prior injury
Chronic, musculoskeletal injuries have several names:
RMI, RSI, CTD, WRMD

10. What happens in chronic injury?
 Tissue irritation – muscles, tendons, ligaments, discs
 Microtrauma – small tears in tissues
 Production of scar tissue; like a blob of super glue
 Irritation continues as long as activity continues
 Results in:
 < flexibility
 < strength
 < function
 Can lead to an acute injury or disability

11. Chronic Injury Examples
 Rotator Cuff Tendinitis and Bursitis
 Tennis/Golfer’s Elbow
 Lower Back Pain
 Bursitis in the knee (Carpet Layer’s Knee)
 Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

12. Ergonomics &
Bodymechanics
 Prevention is the key to being pain free

13. Ergonomics &
Bodymechanics
 Prevention is the key to being pain free
 Ergonomics is matching the task and environment
to the worker

14. Ergonomics &
Bodymechanics
 Prevention is the key to being pain free
 Ergonomics is matching the task and environment
to the worker
 Bodymechanics is using your body to the best
mechanical advantage
The good news is women tend to work smarter!

15. Examples of
Bodymechanics
 Lift with legs instead of back
 Bend from the hips
 Keep the object close to body
 Keep spine in neutral
posture
 Use wide, scissored stance
 Keep your nose between
your toes
 Test the load
 Get help when needed

16. Examples of
Bodymechanics
 Lift with legs instead of back
 Bend from the hips
 Keep the object close to body
 Keep spine in neutral
posture
 Use wide, scissored stance
 Keep your nose between
your toes
 Test the load
 Get help when needed

17. Bodymechanics
Neutral spine posture = maintaining 3 normal curves

18. Bodymechanics

19. More Bodymechanics

20. Ergonomics
 Finding the best ‘fit’ between a worker and her job
conditions
 Goal is to create a safe, comfortable environment for
the worker so she can be productive
 Usually accomplished by redesigning tools or the
work process
 “Make the tool fit the person”

21. Ergonomic Tools
 Tools make our lives easier on the farm
 Ergonomics is not an inherent attribute of tools
 Equipment and tools designed for men are not
necessarily comfortable, safe, efficient, and easy to use
for women!
 To be ‘ergonomic’ a tool must:
 Fit the user
 Be easy to use
 Improve comfort
 Improve performance (including health and safety)

22. Risk Factors for
Chronic Injuries
 Awkward postures
 High hand force
 Highly repetitive motion
 Repeated impact
 Heavy, frequent, or awkward lifting
 Moderate to high hand-arm vibration

23. A Risk Factor Becomes a
Hazard When…
 The duration of exposure gets longer
 The work intensity increases
 There are a combination of risk factors

24. Risk Factors
Awkward Postures – being in these positions for more than
2 hours total per day
 Hands above head
 Elbow above shoulder
 Back bent forward more than 30 degrees
 Neck bent more than 30 degrees
 Squatting
 Kneeling

25. Risk Factors
High Hand Force – more than 2 hours per day of:
 Pinching 2 or more pounds weight or 4 or more
pounds force
 Gripping 10 or more pounds weight or force

26. Risk Factors
Highly Repetitive Motion – repeating the same
motion every few seconds for more than 2 hours per
day with:
 Neck
 Shoulders
 Elbows
 Wrists
 Hands

27. Risk Factors
Repeated Impact – using hands or knees as a hammer
 More than 10 times per hour
 More than 2 hours per day

28. Risk Factors
Heavy, frequent, or awkward lifting – lifting objects
more than:
 75 lbs. once/day
 55 lbs. more than 10 times/day
 10 lbs. more than twice/minute for more than 2
hours per day
 25 lbs. above shoulders, below knees, or at arms
length more than 25 times/day

29. Risk Factors
Moderate to high hand-arm vibration –
 Moderate = more than 30 minutes/day
 High Level = more than 2 hours per day

30. Solutions
 Practice good bodymechanics
 Physical conditioning – stretching and strength
training
 Alter risky tasks as needed
 Purchase ergonomic tools
 Adapt existing tools to fit the user
 Adapt the work environment

31. Solutions
Stretching and Strengthening Tips
 Perform balance stretching; always stretch muscles on
both sides of your body evenly
 Avoid over-stretching. Never stretch to the point of pain
or discomfort
 Go slow. Always stretch slowly and evenly
 Don’t bounce or jerk while stretching; use smooth, slow
motions
 Breathe. Flexibility exercises should be relaxing. Deep,
easy, even breathing is key to relaxation.

32. Solutions
 Use wheels to avoid carrying heavy objects
 Raise or lower work benches to accommodate better
posture
 Choose spring loaded and/or self-adjusting tools
(telescoping handles)
 When possible automate tasks, such as bulk feeding;
look for attachments for existing equipment
 Automatic gates
 Spinner knob for steering wheels

33. Solutions
Choose tools that:
 Allow your joints to remain in neutral (non-twisted)
position
 Have grips or handles that comfortably fit your hands
 Allow your back to remain as straight as possible
 Are adjustable
 Come in various sizes
 Are custom made
 Are as light as possible without compromising function
 Minimize strain, lifting, etc.

34. Examples
DeltaHook Tractor
Rapid Hitch
Mention of a particular product does not constitute recommendation or endorsement by AgrAbility or Kansas State University.
Fist Grip Garden
Tools with Wrist
Stabilizer
Radius Garden
Tools with curved
handle to
encourage neutral
wrist posture

35. Solutions
Sharing-Discussion
 Do you have solutions that have worked for you?
 Are you searching for solutions to a task that’s
causing pain?
Thank you for attending and sharing