Education, tech helping to reduce youth injuries

The farm safety exhibit included interactive displays demonstrating how much force it takes to pull someone out of moving grain and how quickly a person can become submerged in the grain.

“It takes only about seven seconds for a full-grown man to be so far submerged he can’t breathe,” said Bob Broz, an Extension associate professor of agricultural engineering. “It takes 325 pounds of force to free a 160-pound person (trapped in grain).”

Kids took turns pulling on a rope to see how many pounds of force they could pull. There was also a flashing light that let people test their reflexes to determine how many RPMs a PTO shaft would make in the time they took to react.

“We use it to demonstrate why you need to keep your shields in place,” Broz says, adding that kids should avoid wearing baggy clothing when operating equipment.

Broz says the exhibits were designed to help people visualize the need for farm safety.

“Everything we’re doing is to try to get people more aware of safety issues,” he says.

The exhibit was for all people, although its interactive displays appealed to kids.

“You’re never too old to learn about farm safety and never too young,” he says. “Safety is a family thing.”

Several ag education and 4-H activities include farm safety information for teens. Many universities hold farm safety days for students. Sept. 20-26 marks National Farm Safety and Health Week.

Karen Funkenbusch with MU’s department of agricultural systems management says youth farm safety should be a top priority.

“Farming and ranching offers the opportunity for youth to learn the value of hard work, how to prioritize their time and responsibility,” she says.

“While farming and ranching helps youth to develop important lifelong skills, there are risks involved in farm labor.”

The U.S. Center for Disease Control launched a National Childhood Agricultural Injury Prevention Initiative in October 1996 to help get better data on youth farm safety and preventing injuries with better facilities and strategies.

According to a 2014 CDC fact sheet, a child dies in an agriculture-related accident every three days, with 23 percent of the deaths involving machinery, 19 percent in motor vehicles and 16 percent due to drowning.

In 2012, more than 955,400 youths lived on farms and 258,800 non-resident youths were hired in agriculture. That year, an estimated 7,780 youths were injured on a farm, with 80 percent of them not working when the injury occurred, according to the CDC.

From 1998 to 2012, the rate of childhood agricultural injuries per 1,000 farms declined by 61 percent, and the rate of injuries per 1,000 youth living on the farm declined by 57 percent. While the overall rates are declining, farm injuries among children under 10 years old have been increasing.

Broz thinks farm safety efforts have paid off, as have technological improvements. While he says things can always get better, he has seen fewer farm injuries for kids and teens.

“The farm is probably safer because technology on the equipment has improved,” he says. “We hear of less accidents, but we have less farmers overall.”

Broz cautions the farm can still be a dangerous place. Proper training and safety education are important for teens and kids on the farm, he says.

“A farmer is eight times more likely to get hurt than almost any other occupation,” he says.

Brent Carpenter, with the Pettis County MU Extension, was also at the farm safety exhibit during the state fair. He was pleased with the interest level. He says young people in particular got involved with the demonstrations.

“I think their interest level really piqued,” Carpenter says. “You can see it.”