A recent study highlights the severity of workplace accidents in the Valencian countryside, with a toll of 146 fatalities due to the use of agricultural machinery between 2010 and 2023. This figure represents 10.4% of the total deaths recorded in Spain for this reason, according to the report ‘Siniestralidad agrícola e incendios en cosechadoras y empacadoras’.
Broken down by province, Valencia leads the statistics with 69 deaths, followed by Alicante with 51 and Castellón with 26. The annual average of fatal accidents involving agricultural machinery in the Valencian Community is around 10.
Nationally, the agricultural sector recorded 1,620 deaths between 2010 and 2023, averaging 116 per year. In 86.9% of these cases, agricultural machinery was the determining factor. Tractors are the vehicle type with the highest incidence, causing 81.1% of machinery-related fatal accidents, with vehicle rollovers being the most frequent type of accident (57%).
Agricultural plots account for 39% of fatal accidents, followed by paths (20%) and roads (16%). Slopes, road departures, and imprudence are common causes, although researchers note that these incidents rarely result from a single factor.
The profile of the victims shows a clear male predominance (94% men) and an average age of 59.8 years, with a higher number of cases among those over 65. The report also laments the deaths of 27 minors, 21 of them under 16 years old.
Accident rates increase in spring and summer, particularly in May, with most accidents occurring between 6:00 AM and 8:00 PM. The document also addresses the risk of fires in harvesters and balers, associated with heat and mechanical or electrical failures.
To reduce these risks, the report proposes improvements in machinery design, maintenance, user training, and the implementation of detection and auto-extinguishing systems. The authors emphasize the need for greater institutional commitment to ensure safety in the agricultural sector, reminding that these are people who sustain an essential activity.
