Extension Communications
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915
8/30/02
Contacts:
Charles Schwab, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, (515) 294-4131,
cvschwab@iastate.edu
Mindy Williamson, Farm Safety 4 Just Kids, (800) 423-5437, mindy@fs4jk.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Farm Safety Isn't Just for Farmers Anymore
AMES, Iowa -- The theme for one of the nation's longest-running safety observances says it all: "Farm safety and health week isn't just for farmers anymore."
Indeed, the fastest growing audience for safety education in recent years is not farm workers but their children - the estimated 1,264,000 youth who lived on farms and ranches in the United States in 1998, and the 666,500 youth hired to work on them.
"Agriculture continues to be one of the nation's most dangerous occupations, one in which youth not only make up part of the work force, they live and often play at the work site," said Charles Schwab, Iowa State University Extension farm safety specialist.
Schwab said one national study revealed that youth working in agriculture are three times more likely to suffer a fatal injury compared to youth in the general private sector. In Iowa, he said state health department reports show that one of every five farm-related injuries is to a child under age 19.
"The agricultural industry has worked hard to safeguard equipment and make the work site more secure for adults, but education is the most important way to keep children safe on farms," Schwab added. "Safety is an attitude and the ability to make good decisions, both of which can be taught at an early age and reinforced throughout a child's development."
In 2001, Iowa State University Extension staff helped plan and present 31 farm safety day camps for more than 5,200 youth. In-school programs reached nearly 5,400 students, and certification classes in tractor and machinery operation were offered in eight counties for 119 older youth.
One common ingredient is involvement by adult volunteers.
"Adult volunteers are at the heart of a successful youth safety program," Schwab said. "Many of our volunteers can share a personal story about a farm tragedy, or have experienced a close call, which drives home a strong safety message. Adults also can be excellent role models for young people."
In observance of the 59th Annual National Farm Safety and Health Week, Sept. 15-21, Iowa State University Extension and Farm Safety 4 Just Kids based in Earlham, Iowa, have launched a public service campaign, "One Child At a Time." The campaign focuses on the bottom-line contribution of farm youth safety programs: saving lives.
The campaign includes three 30-second television spots and seven 30-second radio spots featuring Iowa students reading a poem written by Marilyn Adams, president and founder of Farm Safety 4 Just Kids. Adams lost her 11-year-old son, Keith, in a gravity-flow wagon of shelled corn in 1986, and went on to found the nonprofit organization that now has more than 100 chapters and 3,000 members.
National Farm Safety and Health Week is a project of the National Safety Council, with observances and other activities scheduled throughout the United States.
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FARM SAFETY ISN'T JUST FOR FARMERS ANYMORE (time: 30 seconds)
Farm safety isn't just for farmers anymore.
Each year, more than a hundred kids are killed and thousands more are
injured on America's farms and ranches.
In Iowa, one of every fivefarm injuries happens to someone under age 19.
Youth who work on a farm are three times more likely to die from a work injury than their non-farm counterparts.
You can make a difference. Talk to your kids, grandkids and neighbor's kids about farm safety. Volunteer to help at a farm youth safety day camp. Help protect Iowa's greatest resource: one child at a time.
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NOTE TO EDITORS: More stories about National Farm Safety Week, Sept. 15-21, 2002, can be downloaded from the Iowa State University Extension farm safety web site: http://www.ae.iastate.edu/Safety.htm.
Extension programs are available to all without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability.