Sept. 15-21, 2019 is National Farm Safety and Health Week
September 15-21, 2019 is National Farm Safety and Health Week sponsored by the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety (NECAS). NECAS “is dedicated to preventing illnesses, injuries and deaths among farmers and ranchers, agricultural and horticultural workers, their families and their employees.”
Daily farm safety themes:
Monday, September 16, 2019 – Tractor Safety & Rural Roadway Safety
Tuesday, September 17, 2019 – Farmer Health & Opioid/Suicide Prevention
Wednesday, September 18, 2019 – Safety & Health for Youth in Agriculture
Thursday, September 19, 2019 – Confined Spaces in Agriculture
Friday, September 20, 2019 – Safety & Health for Women in Agriculture
Webinars will be presented by industry experts all week. Click here for more details.
Agricultural accident statistics
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows the high risk of agriculture accidents. Farmers take on a high risk for injuries and fatalities and their family members do too when farms are operated on family property. In 1990, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) created a comprehensive agricultural safety and health program to address the high risks of injuries and illnesses suffered by workers and families in agriculture. As part of this program, they conducted and supported outside research that has shed light on injuries caused by agriculture hazards like pesticide exposure such as hearing loss, stress, pulmonary disease and musculoskeletal disorders.
Who is at risk for agriculture accidents?
The NIOSH research identified about 2,050,000 full-time workers and 1.4 to 2.1 million hired crop workers in 2017. They also identified about 893,000 young people under the age of 20 living on farms and an additional 266,000 youth who were hired to work on U.S. farms in 2014.
Agriculture fatality statistics
Agriculture has a high rate of work-related fatalities:
- In 2016, there were 417 fatal accidents among farmers and farm workers from work-related injuries which translated into a fatality rate of 21.4 deaths per 100,000 workers.
- Transportation accidents – including overturned tractors – were the leading cause of death among farmers and farm workers.
Safety experts agree that the best way to prevent tractor overturn fatalities is for tractors to be equipped with a Roll-Over Protective Structure (ROPS) with a seatbelt. In 2014, 62 percent of tractors used on U.S. farms were equipped with ROPS.
Agriculture injury statistics
Agriculture has a high rate of work-related injuries:
- Each day, there are about 100 agricultural workers missing work because of an injury.
- Fifty-percent of all hired crop worker injuries were diagnosed as a sprain or strain between 2008-2010.
- About 12,000 people under the age of 20 were injured on farms in 2014: 4,000 of these injuries were due to farm work and the remainder were to people living on or visiting farms.
Seek the help of a personal injury lawyer
If you or a loved one was injured on a farm because of the negligence of another, contact a personal injury lawyer to discuss your legal rights. Let an experienced accident attorney fight for the full compensation that you deserve. It is not uncommon to receive a settlement from the insurance company that is five to ten times bigger with the help of a lawyer. Call the personal injury lawyers at Tario & Associates, P.S. in Bellingham, WA today for a FREE consultation! We have been representing residents of Whatcom County, Skagit County, Island County and Snohomish County since 1979. You will pay nothing up front and no attorney fees at all unless we recover damages for you!
