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National Farm Safety Week is Sept. 16-22 Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Agri News staff writer
National Farm Safety and Health Week is Sept. 16-22.
According to the National Safety Council, there were 703 deaths and 90,000 disabling injuries related to agriculture in 2005.
In 2006, 26 farm-related fatalities were documented by the Minnesota AgrAbility Project. In 2004, the last year with full data, the total was the same.
John Shutske, director of the Minnesota AgrAbility Project and University of Minnesota Extension agricultural safety and health specialist, said there was a dramatic decrease in the number of children involved in farm fatalities in 2006. Children below the age of 16 usually take up a quarter of the list; last year's documented two.
Almost half of the 2006 death totals were people 65 years old and older. Michele Schermann, RN MS and Research Fellow in the Agricultural Safety and Health Program, noted this group of 11 people.
"I always tell folks that one reason why we see relatively high numbers of older farmers in our fatality totals is that the 'average' principal farm operator is about 10 to 11 years older than the average person working in an urban area," said Shutske. "That combined with the overall high general rate of fatalities among older workers explains part of the issue."
The high number of older farmers on the fatality list is not a new development, but it is a concern.
"We focus much of our Minnesota AgrAbility Project on issues of aging and related safety problems," said Shutske. "But it's not an area that gets a lot of attention."
Older farmers' safety may be compromised by slower reaction time, the ability to fully use all of their senses, mobility problems, balance issues and the ability to recover from falls or injuries,
"The theme for this year's National Farm Safety and Health week is a great one: 'It's easier to bury a tradition than a child.' But I think we need to make sure we do not lose sight of the unique and growing needs of older workers," said Shutske. |
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