By Samantha Wolfe and Laurel Harduar Morano
During the fall harvest season, countless hours will be spent in combines, tractors, trucks and other equipment by farmers and workers who will be transporting large equipment on our roads and highways. It is always a good suggestion to go over safety considerations with all workers to teach or reinforce the importance of safety on the farm. This is also particularly true for new or inexperienced workers.
Agriculture ranks among the nation’s most hazardous industries. Farmers are at very high risk for fatal and nonfatal injuries, and farming is one of the few industries in which family members, who often share the work and live on the premises, are also at risk for fatal and nonfatal injuries. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Childhood Agricultural Injury Survey, an estimated 893,000 youth under 20 years of age resided on farms in 2014, with about 453,977 youth performing farm work.
The Michigan State University Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine reports that there were 1,003 non-fatal work-related farm injuries in Michigan in 2022 and 2023, and an additional 24 work-related deaths that occurred on a farm.
Source : msu.edu