By STACY CAMPBELL
Cottonwood Extension District
Although the industry has come a long way when it comes to farm safety and a decline to injuries by about 60%, the rate of fatalities of children dying in farm accidents has stayed fairly steady.
Every three days, a child dies in an ag-related incident, and each day, 33 children are injured, says farm safety expert Barbara Lee with the National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety. “I think the most revealing thing is that for both injuries and deaths, more than half of them occur to kids who are not working – they are just bystanders in the farm environment.”
In an effort to mitigate agricultural injuries and fatalities to young workers in agriculture, several K-State Research and Extension Districts and counties will be offering a Hazardous Occupation Safety Training in Agriculture or Tractor and Farm Safety Course for youth on Saturday, April 26 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It will be held at Hoxie Implement, 933 Oak Ave., Hoxie, Kansas.
Many thanks to Outdoor Bank for providing the lunch and refreshments and to Thunder Linner Memorial Fund for helping sponsor the training manuals.
In a collaboration with businesses, state and county agencies, K-State Research and Extension agents will teach this course covering farm and machinery safety, including proper tractor operation and maintenance, grain safety, implement use safety, livestock safety and more.
The United States Department of Labor requires youth 14 – 15 years of age attend this safety training in order to work on a farm for someone other than their parents, and in some instances even when working on the family farm.
Participants must complete some assignments before attending the training on the 26th.
To obtain this information and to pay the $10 registration fee by Tuesday, April 22, you will need to visit one of the following K-State Research & Extension Offices – Twin Creeks @ 785-421-3411, Golden Prairie @ 785-673-4805, Phillips-Rooks @ 785-425-6851, Cottonwood District @ 785-628-9430 and Thomas County Extension @ 785-460-4582.
Some Extension offices may provide transportation to the training.
Don’t delay and register by Friday, April 22 for the Tractor & Farm Machinery Safety Course for youth 14 - 15 years of age to be held in Hoxie on Saturday, April 26.
Stacy Campbell is a Crop Production Extension agent in the Cottonwood District (which includes Barton and Ellis counties) for K-State Research and Extension. You can contact him by e-mail at [email protected] or by calling 785-628-9430.