Injuries to Youth On US Farm Operations (pre-survey flier)

Youth on U.S. Farm Operations

Non-fatal Injuries to Youth Living on
U.S. Farms, 2004

Just the facts . . .

Delivering on the Nation’s promise
Safety and health at work for all people through research
and prevention

Injuries to Youth on U.S. Farm
Operations, 2004
To receive NIOSH documents or for more
information about occupational safety and
health topics, contact:
1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636)
1-888-232-6348 (TTY)

•

In 2004, 2.1 million farms were operated in the
U.S.

The most common sources for the 18,800 nonfatal injuries to youth living on a U.S. farm
were:

•

Nearly 1/3 (650,000) of these farms reported
having youth less than 20 years old living on
them

•

Persons, animals, plants, minerals (23%)

•

Floors, walkways, ground (21%)

•

Vehicles (ATVs, tractors, automobiles,
16%)

•

Over 1.25 million youth lived on these farms

•

27,600 injuries (3.1 injuries every hour)
occurred to youth who lived on, worked on, or
visited these farms

•

Approximately 2/3 (18,800) of the injuries were
to youth who lived on the farm

•

Between 1995 and 2002, 907 youth died on
farms (43 deaths/100,000 youth)

E-mail: cdcinfo@cdc.gov

Youth Fatalities on U.S. Farms,
1995-2002

Visit the NIOSH Web site at:

The most common types of injury were:
•

Broken bone (26%)

•

Cut (25%)

•

Sprain, strain, torn ligament (11%)

The body parts most commonly injured were:
•

Arm (17%)

•

Hand, wrist, finger (16%)

•

Foot, ankle, toe (16%)

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh
•

Of the 907 youth who died on farms in the
U.S., most were between the ages of 16 and
19 years

•

The majority of deaths to youth on U.S.
farms were due to machinery (23%), such as
tractors; motor vehicles (19%), which
include ATVs; and drowning (16%)

Safer · Healthier · People™
DHHS (NIOSH) Publication Number 2007-161
August 2007

Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Understanding
Youth who live
how
andtowork
create
onafarms
safe farm
are
environment
exposed toispotentially
importantdangerous
for farm
operators
farm-related
and their
hazards
families.
more frequently
Youth who
live
than
andother
workyouth.
on farms
Understanding
are exposed how
to
potentially
to createdangerous
a safe farmfarm-related
environment is
hazards
important
morefor
frequently
farm operators
than other
and their
youth.
families.

Non-fatal injury rates (per 1,000) for youth
living* on U.S. farms by age group, 2004

Injuires/1,000

Visit the NIOSH Childhood Agricultural
Injury Initiative site at:
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/childag/

16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
< 10
All Injuries

10-15

Age (years)
Work Injuries

16-19
Non-w ork Injuries

* Includes all individuals 0-19 years of age who live
on a U.S. farm operation.

How to Keep the Youth on Your Farm Safe
•

Children do what they see...be a good role
model for farm safety. Devote a day to
FARM SAFETY with your children.

•

Inspect your farm for hazards to children.
Remove as many hazards as possible.
Mark dangerous areas clearly with hazard
signs.

•

•

Keeping Youth Safe Around Machinery
•

•

NEVER leave keys in the ignition of
machinery or vehicles.

•

Limit operation of ATVs, tractors, and
machinery to older youth. ATV
manufacturers recommend that riders be at
least 16 years of age for ATVs 400 cc or
larger, and that they take an ATV safety
training course. Youth should not operate
any ATV without wearing a helmet.

Provide an enclosed and supervised safe
play area for children. Do not allow
children to play around machinery, workshops, storage buildings, or where work is
occurring on the farm.
Assign farm chores to youth that are
appropriate for their age such as those
recommended in the North American
Guidelines for Childhood Agricultural
Tasks (NAGCAT).

•

Keeping Youth Safe Around Animals
•

Teach youth how to handle and work with
animals safely.

•

Farm animals that are breeding, have
newborns, or are sick can be aggressive make sure children have no contact with
these animals.

•

Children should wear proper protective
clothing when handling animals. For
example, youth should always wear a
helmet when riding horses.

•

All household pets should have proper
health checks and shots.

Do not allow extra riders on tractors, all
terrain vehicles (ATVs) and other farm
equipment; follow the “ONE SEAT— ONE
RIDER” rule.

Child labor laws require that hired youth
be at least 16 years old to operate tractors
and machinery on farms, except for 14- and
15-year olds who have received operator
certification. All youth should be properly
trained before operating tractors or
machinery.

•

Child labor laws do not apply to youth on
their family’s farm. However, they are a
good guide for when youth are old enough
to do hazardous work safely.

•

Youth, like adults, should not operate farm
tractors without a Roll-Over Protective
Structure (ROPS) and a seatbelt.

•

Youth should not operate tractors or other
vehicles on public roads without a driver’s
license.
Farm operators who hire youth to work on
their farm should be aware of all
applicable child labor laws.

Keeping Youth Safe Around Water
•

Always supervise children when playing in or
near water.

•

All entrances to ponds, lagoons, pools, and
manure pits should be restricted. All farm
ponds should have water safety and rescue
equipment.

•

Alcohol contributes to many teen drownings
on farms. Talk to your teens about the
dangers of drinking and swimming.

•

Never leave containers with standing water
in areas where toddlers are present.

Youth Farm Worker Dies after Falling
into Operating Feed Grinder/Mixer
2002 — A 14-year-old youth farm
worker died after falling into an
operating cattle feed grinder/mixer.
The victim was using a handheld hay
hook to drop hay bales into the
grinder from the top of a stack of
hay bales. He apparently lost his
footing, slipped, and fell into the
grinder.

For More Information
National Children’s Center for Rural and
Agricultural Health and Safety
1000 North Oak Avenue
Marshfield, Wisconsin 54449
Telephone: 1-888-924-SAFE (7233)
Web: research.marshfieldclinic.org/children
North American Guidelines for Children’s
Agricultural Tasks (NAGCAT)
Telephone: 1-888-924-SAFE (7233)
Web: www.nagcat.org
Farm Safety 4 Just Kids
P.O. Box 458
Earlham, Iowa 50072
Telephone: 1-800-423-5437; 515-758-2827
Web: www.fs4jk.org
U.S. Department of Labor
Frances Perkins Building
200 Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20210
Telephone: 1-866-4-USA-DOL
Web: www.dol.gov/dol/topic/youthlabor/
Agriculturalemployment.htm

INSURE KIDS NOW!!
Your State , and every state in the nation, has a health
insurance program for infants, children, and teens. The
insurance is available to children in working families.
Make a free call to find out more about your State’s
Program.
Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Telephone: 1-877-KIDS-NOW (1-877-543-7669)
Web: www.insurekidsnow.gov