Agricultural workers' return to work following spinal cord injury: a comparison with other industry workers

Purpose: To investigate the impact of spinal cord injury on employment outcomes as experienced by agricultural workers in comparison with persons employed in other industries. Because of the challenges associated with working in many of the agricultural industries, it was anticipated that agricultural workers would achieve inferior return-to-work outcomes. Method: Survey of all employed persons who experienced a traumatic spinal cord injury in southeastern Australia between 1990 and 1996 (inclusive). Results: Contrary to expectation, agricultural workers had a significantly higher rate of return to work (61.7% vs. 41.1%). However, an investigation into the hours spent working and agricultural workers' satisfaction with their employment activities, indicated that most were underemployed and had the potential to achieve even better outcomes. Conclusion: Results indicate that more can be done to help injured agricultural workers achieve their employment potential.