[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 3, Volume 1]
[Revised as of January 1, 2003]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 3CFR7592]

Proc. 7592

Proclamation 7592 of September 13, 2002

National Farm Safety and Health Week, 2002

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

          American farm and ranch families embody our Nation's values of 
          hard work, love of the land, and love of country. Farming not 
          only feeds our country but increasingly provides more of our 
          Nation's energy needs. The

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          success of America's farmers and ranchers is essential to our 
          economy, and helping to ensure their safety is an important 
          goal for our country.
          Because their homes also serve as their workplace, our 
          country's farm families are often exposed to unique hazards. 
          These include powerful machinery, dangerous chemicals, unruly 
          livestock, and buildings containing high dust and gas levels. 
          To ensure safety, young family members helping with farm work 
          must be trained to recognize these dangers; and we must also 
          safeguard older farm workers whose health risks may increase 
          due to aging and previous injuries.
          Professionals in the engineering safety and rural health 
          fields have made significant progress in preventing accidents 
          in agricultural settings. To protect machinery operators, 
          industry has made great strides to incorporate safeguards to 
          prevent rollovers, entanglements, and other accidents. 
          Personal protective gear, new and safer packaging, and 
          advances in respiratory protection and hearing conservation 
          help protect agricultural workers from contact with hazardous 
          products, excessive dust, gas, and unduly loud noise in the 
          work environment.
          To ensure our farmers' continued health, we must increase 
          public awareness of available safety precautions. Simple, 
          economical tools and procedures can help prevent accidents on 
          farms. With proper installation and care, lighting and marking 
          devices reduce the risk of highway collisions between farm 
          equipment and vehicles. By clearly labeling farm chemicals and 
          storing them in locked containers, we can help avoid 
          poisonings and injuries.
          America's farmers make invaluable contributions to our 
          country, and my Administration is committed to preserving the 
          farm way of life for future generations. In May, I was pleased 
          to sign the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002. 
          This generous new law will strengthen American agriculture and 
          support our farmers through difficult times, without 
          encouraging overproduction and depressing prices. I also 
          intend to aggressively use my trade promotion authority to 
          open markets to American farmers. By promoting farm safety, we 
          strengthen our farm economy and help our Nation's farmers 
          continue to be the best, most productive farmers in the world.
          NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United 
          States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by 
          the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby 
          proclaim the week of September 15 through September 21, 2002, 
          as National Farm Safety and Health Week. I call upon the 
          agencies, organizations, and businesses that serve America's 
          agricultural workers to strengthen their commitment to 
          promoting farm safety and health programs. I also encourage 
          American citizens to recognize the importance of our 
          agricultural heritage and the valuable contributions America's 
          farmers, ranchers, and farm workers make to our Nation's 
          economy and vitality.
          IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
          thirteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord two 
          thousand two, and of the Independence of the United States of 
          America the two hundred and twenty-seventh.

GEORGE W. BUSH