Steve Moses via Compfight
Did you know that agriculture ranks as one of the most hazardous industries?
Youth and adults who work or even just live on farms are at high risk for both nonfatal and fatal injuries.
Every day almost 100 agricultural workers suffer a lost work time injury. In 2015, 401 farmers/farm workers died from a work-related injury, resulting in a fatality rate of 19.2 deaths per 100,000 workers. Transportation incidents, such as tractor overturns, were the leading cause of death for these farmers and farm workers.
Approximately 33 children are injured in an ag-related incident each day. In 2014, an estimated 12,000 youth were injured on farms, and 4,000 of these injuries were due to farm work. Every 3 days, a child dies in an ag-related incident. It was reported from 1995 to 2002 that on average, 113 youth less than 20 years of age died annually from farm-related injuries; 34% of these deaths occurred to youth 16-19 years of age. The leading cause of fatalities among all youth are as follows: 25% machinery (tractors), 17% motor vehicles (ATVs), and 16% drowning.
It is important for youth as well as adults to know and understand the many risks that come with working on a farm or with farm equipment. CCE provides programs for specific audiences that help relay this information. The Capital District’s annual Hazardous Occupations Safety Training in Agriculture (HOSTA), or Tractor Safety Program, begins this Friday, March 30th. This program is open to adults but designed for 4-H and non 4-H youth who are 14 or older. Also, the CAAHP Team (Capital Area Agriculture and Horticulture Program) is offering an Adult Tractor Operation Workshop on April 21st. These programs cover a variety of topics such as: how to operate and maintain equipment, the different hazards that come with working with equipment, and how to properly mark your equipment when moving it across the road.
If you are not able to sign-up for these programs continue to check your local CCE website for future programming.
Stay Safe,
-Kayela
Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/aginjury/default.html
