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| National Farm Safety Week, Sept. 16-22 |
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| By TIM THORNBERRY
Kentucky Correspondent
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Farmers know well the dangers that come with their occupation. With that in mind, the National Safety Council (NSC) and Kentucky Farm Bureau are promoting Sept. 16-22, as National Farm Safety and Health Week. This year’s observance emphasizes the importance of keeping the youngest members of farm families safe.
President George Bush has issued a proclamation for the week marking the 64th consecutive signing of such a proclamation by a U.S. President, beginning with Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944.
This year’s theme is It’s easier to bury a tradition than a child, which comes from the Children’s Ag Safety Network (CASN). This network of Children’s Farm Safety organizations is committed to reducing child injuries and fatalities, and it has launched a national media campaign with a the message: Children younger than 12 years old should not be on or near tractors.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) listed farming and ranching as the six most deadly occupations in 2006 but the agency also said last year’s numbers were an improvement over 2005.
BLS figures show that fatalities in the agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting sector decreased 10 percent in 2006, and the rate of fatal injury dropped from 32.5 per 100,000 in 2005 to 29.6 per 100,000 in 2006. Crop production, which reported the highest number of fatalities in agriculture, had 14 percent fewer fatal work injuries in 2006 than in 2005. The rate of fatal injury in crop production fell from 38.2 in 2005 to 33.0 in 2006.
In Kentucky tractor roll over deaths were once considered a major threat to farmers but with extensive safety information and improved safety features on newer equipment the numbers have dwindled to next-to-nothing.
University of Kentucky figures listed one state death attributed to a tractor roll over accident last year; this in a state that once led the nation in tractor-related fatalities.
But the news isn’t all good when it comes to safety. Kentucky led the nation in All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) deaths from 2002-04 with 106; 17 reported so far this year.
The state bans ATV use on paved roads but a provision in the law allows cities and counties to make exceptions within their jurisdictions.
Many communities have adopted tougher laws concerning ATV use especially by those under legal driving age.
Prevention Measures
Farm Bureau is suggesting warnings and measures to guard against injuries especially related to farm and lawn tractors that include: extra-riders are universally at-risk.
No operator can pay the full-time attention that is needed to operate a large or small tractor with a child or passenger riding along; young tractor operators are exposed to similar risks.
Children and youth are risk-takers and they tend to overstate and overestimate their own capabilities; tractors without roll-over protection, whether operating on farmland, or on a manicured lawn can be dangerous. Slopes are often the culprit, but drop-offs near a stream or retaining wall can have disastrous results; fueling a tractor in a rural or urban setting can be dangerous when rules are not followed.
A hot engine and careless gasoline spills can result in serious and debilitating burns.
And, no one should attempt to fuel any size tractor in an enclosed garage or building; and once a thorough litter and debris check of the area to be mowed has been done, all bystanders, children and pets should be kept at a distance until the tractor and mower are put away.
This farm news was published in the Sept. 12, 2007 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee. |
| 9/12/2007 |
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