Farm Work Regularly Injures and Kills Children Every day, 33 children are injured on U.S. farms.55 In 2014, working youth had more than 4,000 work-related injuries. Over six years of surveys, there were more than 34,000 workrelated injuries to working youth, 10.6% of whom were children under age 10, and more than half of whom were under age 16. These injuries include cuts and bruises to stabs and burns, and traumatic brain injury, dislocation, and amputation.56
approximately every 3 days.59 Transportation incidents were the most common cause of fatal injury, primarily with tractors, especially those that are outdated and without rollover protection,60 and ATV/UTVs.61 Although only 6% of child workers are employed on farms, more than half of child work-related deaths are in agriculture.62
While the overall numbers of farm injuries are declining, injuries to youth on their parents’ farms have held steady. Approximately 60% of youth agricultural injuries are to children who are not working at the time.57 Almost three-fourths of those injuries are to working household youth.58 More child workers in the U.S. die in agricultural work than any other industry. A child dies in an agriculture-related incident
55 Margaret Wurth, “Children Working in Terrifying Conditions in US Agriculture,” Human Rights Watch, November 13, 2019, https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/11/13/children-working-terrifying-conditions-us-agriculture 56 The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “National estimates of work-related injuries to working youth (< 20 years) on US farms by injury characteristics, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2014 (all years combined),” accessed September 23, 2021, https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/childag/cais/ pdfs/I-27-508.pdf 57 National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety, Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, “Childhood Agriculture Injuries 2020 Fact Sheet,” https:// marshfieldresearch.org/Media/Default/NFMC/PDFs/ChildAgInjuryFactsheet2020.pdf 58 The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “National estimates of work-related injuries to working youth (< 20 years) in US farms by type of youth,” accessed September 23, 2021, https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/childag/cais/ pdfs/I-8-508.pdf
Child Farmworkers
59 National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety, Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, “Childhood Agriculture Injuries 2020 Fact Sheet,” https:// marshfieldresearch.org/Media/Default/NFMC/PDFs/ChildAgInjuryFactsheet2020.pdf 60 Gretchen Brown, “Farming Remains One of the Most Dangerous Jobs in America,” Wisconsin Public Radio, April 25, 2017, https://www.wpr.org/farming-remains-one-most-dangerous-jobs-america 61 National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety, Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, “Childhood Agriculture Injuries 2020 Fact Sheet,” https:// marshfieldresearch.org/Media/Default/NFMC/PDFs/ChildAgInjuryFactsheet2020.pdf 62 Margaret Wurth, “More US Child Workers Die in Agriculture Than in Any Other Industry,” Human Rights Watch, December 4, 2018, https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/12/04/ more-us-child-workers-die-agriculture-any-other-industry..
19
