A Narrative Review of Fatigue in Agriculture and Its Impact on Injury and Fatality in Australia.

Abstract

Objectives: To identify current knowledge about the role of fatigue in occupational injury in the agricultural sector and briefly assess potential intervention approaches.

Methods: Narrative review of peer reviewed literature (in English) from 2010 to 2022 focusing on fatigue in agricultural and other sectors. Data were extracted from Medline, Scopus, and Google Scholar.

Results: The initial search revealed 6,031 papers, of these 33 met the inclusion criteria. The literature unanimously agreed that fatigue contributes to occupational injury in agriculture and related industries. However, there was a scarcity of literature specific to Australia or agriculture. This limits the ability to draw conclusions about the true relationship between fatigue and injury.

Conclusion: While fatigue is likely a major contributor to occupational injury in Australian agriculture, the limited literature impedes the ability to draw conclusions and extrapolate interventions used by other industries that are practical and feasible, to agriculture. Future studies should establish the nature of the problem in Australian agriculture and consult with members of the sector to establish the best interventions to ameliorate the problem, then implement and robustly evaluate intervention studies.