Contents

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Entire Document	2005-147.pdf (1731KB; 289 pgs)
Introduction	2005-147Intro.pdf (133KB; 16 pgs)
Section I: The Minority Farm Operator Childhood Agricultural Injury Survey	2005-147Sec1.pdf (147KB; 14 pgs)
Section II: National Demographic, Injury, and Asthma Estimates for Youth Less Than 20 Years of Age on Racial Minority Farm Operations	2005-147Sec2.pdf (430KB; 69 pgs)
Section III: National Demographic, Injury, and Asthma Estimates for Youth Less Than 20 Years of Age on Black Farm Operations	2005-147Sec3.pdf (335KB; 48 pgs)
Section IV: National Demographic, Injury, and Asthma Estimates for Youth Less Than 20 Years of Age on Native American Farm Operations	2005-147Sec4.pdf (384KB; 62 pgs)
Section V: National Demographic, Injury, and Asthma Estimates for Youth Less Than 20 Years of Age on Asian Farm Operations	2005-147Sec5.pdf (261KB; 28 pgs)
Section VI: National Demographic, Injury, and Asthma Estimates for Youth Less Than 20 Years of Age on “Other Race” Farm Operations	2005-147Sec6.pdf (217KB; 22 pgs)
Appendix A: Bibliography of NIOSH Childhood Agricultural Injury Articles and Documents	2005-147AppA.pdf (32KB; 8 pgs)
Appendix B: Minority Farm Operator Childhood Agricultural Injury Survey Questionnaire	2005-147AppB.pdf (179KB; 16 pgs)
Appendix C: Definitions Used for the Racial Minority Farm Operator Childhood Agricultural Injury Survey	2005-147AppC.pdf (19KB; 4 pgs)
Appendix D: Sampling Estimators Used for the Racial Minority Farm Operator Childhood Agricultural Injury Survey	2005-147AppD.pdf (43KB; 5 pgs)

Foreword

In 1996, NIOSH began the Childhood Agricultural Injury Prevention Initiative to prevent farmrelated injuries to the millions of youth less than 20 years of age who are exposed to agricultural hazards each year. Youth on farms may be exposed to a wide range of work and non-work-related hazards, including falls, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), and animals. As a place of work and a place of residence, the farm presents unique challenges for injury prevention.

The NIOSH initiative is based on a comprehensive program of surveillance, research, and
partnerships. In keeping with the breadth of the Initiative, the following document presents national data for non-fatal youth injuries on racial minority farms for 2000. These data, drawn from a special survey of minority farm operators across the U.S., indicate that 531 youth were injured on racial minority farms during 2000. The causes of these injuries included falls, animals, and vehicles such as ATVs. This document, which is the first in a series of four documents, fills a current data need by providing national demographic information on youth exposed to these hazards on minority farm operations.

This document is an important step in understanding the magnitude of youth injuries occurring on racial minority-operated farms in the U.S. We hope this information will serve as a valuable resource to federal, state and local agencies; health and safety professionals; and farm safety advocates in their efforts to develop focused and coordinated strategies to prevent youth injuries on farms.

John Howard, M.D.
Director
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Acknowledgements

The authors are indebted to Doug Kleweno, Kevin Barnes, Montie Tesky, Joe Samson, and Gail Gregory of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) for their invaluable assistance in the survey design, data collection, data entry, and review of this work; all of the NASS State cooperators who collected these data; Cheryl Paul of the Constella Group for her efforts in completing the layout of the document; and Patricia Ulakovic of NIOSH for her assistance in printing this document.

Public Health Summary

What is the purpose of this document?
This document provides previously unavailable youth demographic, injury and asthma estimates at the national level for youth on racial minority operated farms in the U.S. A racial minority is defined as any person who is Black, Native American, Asian, or who are of “other” races. These data represent the initial step in developing research and prevention programs to reduce the burden of injury and asthma on racial minority farms in the U.S.

What are the hazards?
According to data from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there were an estimated 531 youth less than 20 years of age injured on racial minority farm operations in the U.S. in 2000. Major causes of these injuries included contact with objects and falls. In addition, there were an estimated 2,506 youth with asthma living on these farms. The injury and asthma estimates reported here should be considered conservative because of the potential for recall and other reporting biases in the survey.

How are youth exposed or put at risk?
Exposures to farm hazards are not limited to youth who work on farms. In addition to injuries sustained during work activities, youth may be injured while living on farms, while visiting farms, or when they accompany their working parents or adults into the fields. The farm environment also contains many known triggers for asthma. The injury and asthma hazards these youth encounter may be work or non-work in nature, and make the farm a unique environment for developing prevention strategies.

What recommendations have the federal government made to protect the health of farm youth?
The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) and its amendments set standards for child labor in agriculture. However, the FLSA covers only employees whose work involves production of agricultural goods which will leave the state through interstate commerce. In addition, FLSA regulations do not apply to youth working for their parents or guardian(s) on the family’s farm. Youth who work on farms are often not protected by workplace safety and health regulations from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) because these youth frequently work for small operations that are not inspected by OSHA, or because OSHA regulations do not apply to the farm household members. For all youth on farms, there are no protections for injuries from hazards associated with non-work activities, which often expose them to the same hazards as work activities. Given the limited protections for youth on farms, there is a need for states and communities to develop and implement programs to reduce childhood agricultural injuries.

Where can more information be found?
Additional NIOSH documents and information on childhood agricultural injuries or other related topics may be obtained by calling the NIOSH toll-free number (1-800-35-NIOSH; 1-800-356-4674) or visiting the NIOSH homepage http://www.cdc.gov/niosh.

Disclaimer

Mention of the name of any company or product does not constitute endorsement by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. In addition, citations to Web sites do not constitute NIOSH endorsement of the sponsoring organizations or their programs or products. Furthermore, NIOSH is not responsible for the content of these Web sites.

This document is in the public domain and may be freely copied or reprinted.

To receive documents or other information about occupational safety and health topics, contact NIOSH at:

Publications Dissemination, EID
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
4676 Columbia Parkway
Cincinnati, OH 45226-1998
Telephone: 1-800-35-NIOSH (1-800-356-4674)
Fax: 1-513-533-8573

E-mail: pubstaft@cdc.gov or visit the NIOSH Web site at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh

DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2005-147