The National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety has announced a new set of Agricultural Youth Work Guidelines to help ensure that children and teens stay safe when helping out on the farm.
The guidelines were released on the first day of the International Society for Agricultural Safety and Health annual conference.
Every three days in the U.S., a youth under the age of 16 dies in an accident while working in agriculture. The number of fatal injuries to youth working in agriculture is higher than in all other industries combined. Though the number of agriculture-related deaths has steadily declined since 2001, the coalition of parents and agricultural organizations wants to make sure the mortality rate continues to decline.
"Too many of these injuries and deaths are associated with children performing agricultural work that does not match their developmental level/abilities," says Marsha Salzwedel, project leader and youth agricultural safety specialist at the National Children's Center.
The first such voluntary guidelines were formulated in 1999; the new guidelines are built on those along with the latest scientific research on child growth and development, agricultural practices and safety and child injury prevention.
Find more data on childhood agricultural injuries and labor regulation here.
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