By KAREN BINDER
Illinois correspondent

MARSHFIELD, Wis. — While a national safety clearinghouse reports agriculture-related injuries of children have dropped by more than half, there are growing trouble areas, including ATV-related injuries and fatalities.

The National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety in Marshfield, Wis., said the rate of injuries from 1998 to 2009 fell 59 percent, from 16.6 to 6.8 per 1,000 farms, which includes all children who live on, visit or are hired to work on farms.

The center also reported that injury rates for just youth who live on farms also showed a significant decline, from 18.8 to 9.9 per 1,000 farms, or 47.3 percent – a statistic resulting from a survey conducted by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Yet, children under age 19 account for one-third of all ATV-related injuries and fatalities and this is the impetus behind the center’s new awareness campaign, “I Didn’t Know,” to teach parents about how dangerous ATVs may be for their children if they don’t follow certain safety precautions.

The NFMC’s National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety division says parents are often unaware that ATVs can weigh up to 800 pounds; that they roll easily; and that they are never meant for passengers. Nonetheless, center officials believe research and public awareness efforts and farm families’ willingness to adopt safer habits are behind the decreasing numbers of injuries.

“This marked decline is a testament to the dedicated efforts of many individuals, organizations and agribusiness sponsors, along with federal agency leadership,” said center Director Barbara Lee. “Injuries and deaths affecting children on farms are no longer viewed as unavoidable accidents, but rather as predictable and preventable events.”

The total number of injuries to youth ages 19 and under dropped from 37,774 to 15,011, while the number of youth living on farms dropped from 1.46 million to 1.03 million. These numbers are released in conjunction with National Farm Safety and Health Week, Sept. 19-26.

Lee said the center took a closer look at the higher relative injury rates for ATVs and horses. It discovered there was a mix of much higher work and non-work exposures in farm household children ages 10-15, compared to other age groups.

For youth younger than 10, the majority of injuries were non-working injuries. Roughly 40,000 children under age 16 go to the hospital with ATV-related injuries each year.

“We are fortunate to have new data on childhood agricultural injuries,” Lee said. “This information helps us maintain our momentum and target future interventions on selected areas where injuries persist.”

The I Didn’t Know campaign is designed to educate parents and promote safer ATV use by children.

“We know ATVs are a way of life for farmers and other landowners. But they pose a significant hazard to children,” said Regina Fisher, an agricultural youth safety specialist at the center. For more, e-mail the center at nccrahs @mcrf.mfldclin.edu or call 800-662-6900.