The agricultural sector in Spain accumulated between 2010 and 2023 a total of 1,620 deaths from work accidents, which represents an average of 116 deaths per year, that is, one fatal victim every three days. The majority of these accidents are linked to the use of agricultural machinery and, in particular, to tractor rollovers, according to a report prepared by Fundación Mapfre in collaboration with the Public University of Navarre and the University of Zaragoza.
In Castilla y León, during the same period, 147 deaths were registered in accidents involving agricultural machinery, a figure that represents 10.4 percent of the national total and translates into an average of 11 deaths per year.
By provincial distribution, Burgos leads the list with 31 fatalities, followed by León, with 26; Salamanca, with 20; and Valladolid, with 16. After them are Zamora, with 13 deaths; Ávila, with 12; Palencia and Soria, with 10 each; and Segovia, with 9.
The research, titled "Agricultural Accidents and Fires in Harvesters and Balers," concludes that agricultural machinery was present in 86.9% of fatal accidents, with a total of 1,407 victims. Within this group, the tractor is confirmed as the most dangerous vehicle, appearing in 1,141 fatal accidents, which represents 81.1% of cases involving machinery.
The study indicates that the other 213 deaths without machinery involvement are mainly linked to falling objects (34%), extreme temperature episodes (20%), and falls of people (13%).
The director of Road Safety, Health, and Prevention at Fundación Mapfre, Antonio Guzmán, recalls that this activity is "especially exposed to risks associated with the use of machinery and the intensity of agricultural tasks."
When machinery is involved, rollovers are confirmed as the predominant type of fatal accident, accounting for 57% of the total. Of these accidents, 94.1% occur with tractors.
Traffic accidents (10%), run-overs and self-run-overs (9%), crushing without rollovers (7%), and entrapments with moving parts (5%) follow in frequency.
From a territorial point of view, Galicia appears as the autonomous community with the highest concentration of fatal victims in accidents with machinery, accounting for 19.8% of the national total: 278 out of the 1,407 deaths analyzed. Within this region, the provinces of A Coruña (92 cases), Lugo (73), Pontevedra (72), and Asturias (58) lead the figures in the northwestern region.
The report also identifies the Mediterranean coast as critical areas, with Murcia and Valencia (69 deaths each) and Alicante (51), as well as the Ebro valley, where Zaragoza (45), Lleida (40), Navarra (40), and Tarragona (37) stand out for the number of deaths in agricultural accidents.
Profile of Victims and Risk Factors
Regarding the predominant profile of people who died in accidents with machinery, 94% are men, with an average age of 59.8 years and a particularly high concentration among those over 65 years of age. The report also draws attention to the death of 27 minors during the analyzed period.
Carmen Jarén, a professor of Agroforestry Engineering at the Public University of Navarre, emphasizes that accidents "are rarely due to a single cause" and are usually the result of the interaction between the terrain, the machine, and the operator. Therefore, she believes that reducing mortality requires "combining the use of safe technology, the renewal of the machinery fleet, preventive training," and greater commitment from institutions.
Regarding the location where accidents with machinery occur, fields account for 39% of fatal cases, followed by paths (20%) and roads (16%). Among the most common risk factors are slopes (22%), run-offs (20%), and recklessness (16%).
Fires in Harvesters and Balers
The report also dedicates a specific section to fires related to harvesters and balers. Between 2016 and 2021, an annual average of 92 fires in harvesters and 17 forest fires caused by these machines were recorded. Almost half of these incidents (48.5%) occur during the hottest hours, so prevention is focused on the design, maintenance, and cleaning of the equipment, as well as the incorporation of detection and extinguishing systems.
The professor of the Agroforestry Engineering area at the Higher Polytechnic School of Huesca (University of Zaragoza), Francisco Javier García, warns that the use of this type of machinery during periods of high temperatures and low humidity "poses a real risk of starting fires with serious repercussions". However, he emphasizes that there are currently technologies and preventive maintenance protocols that "effectively minimize this risk".
To combat these fires, the document proposes a four-pronged strategy: the design of the machinery by the manufacturer, its use and maintenance by the user, the implementation of monitoring systems to detect temperature increases and support decision-making, and the installation of self-extinguishing systems capable of automatically detecting and extinguishing fires in high-risk areas.
Current regulations require agricultural machinery to be equipped with fire extinguishers, even though specific references to fire risk are limited. Nevertheless, European Regulation 2023/1230 and UNE-EN ISO standards already establish design prevention criteria for manufacturers, while the autonomous communities set regional requirements for the extinguishing means that harvesters and balers must carry based on the risk index.
In this context, Antonio Guzmán calls for progress towards a "more solid preventive culture" now that the origins of these fires are better understood. "When we talk about safety in the field, we are not just talking about procedures: we are talking about protecting people who, through their daily work, sustain an essential activity for all of society," he concludes.