Safety Group Works to Keep Farm Children Safe
The Childhood Agricultural Safety Network is a coalition of health and safety organizations across the nation. Their purpose is to strengthen partnerships and collaborative efforts involving the agricultural community, child injury prevention organizations, and minority-serving associations that will improve and expand childhood agricultural injury prevention efforts.
Why is this important?
In the U.S., agriculture consistently ranks among the four deadliest jobs, along with mining, transportation and construction. According to the National Safety Council’s most recent report (2008), agriculture had the highest rate of worker deaths at 29.2/100,000 workers compared to an average across all jobs of 3.5 deaths/100,000 workers. And agricultural workers suffered 90,000 disabling injuries that same year. Nearly all these deaths and injuries are preventable.
One of the main differences between agriculture and other industries is the presence of children in the worksite. Farming is typically a family business, where children are raised on the farm and participate in farming activities beginning at young ages. Annually, more than 100 children are killed and 23,000 seriously injured in farm-related events in the United States.
Over the years, a growing number of organizations have identified the seriousness of these statistics and have promoted farm safety, especially for children. Across the country, they have created local or regional marketing programs addressing safety issues in farming communities.
Now one unifying coalition, the Childhood Agricultural Safety Network (CASN), speaks with one voice, advocating farm safety for children.
The Organization’s Roots
The coalition was nearly a decade in the making.
In 1997, The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) started its national childhood agricultural injury prevention initiative and provided funds for the National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety, Marshfield, WI, to coordinate activities between government, private organizations, and the farming community.
By 1999, there were three major groups dedicated solely to children and farm safety: the NIOSH-funded center in Wisconsin, Farm Safety 4 Just Kids in Earlham, IA and Progressive Agriculture Farm Safety Camps of Birmingham, AL.
In 2000, these three primary organizations were joined by 10 additional groups focusing on projects related to children and agriculture.
In 2006, these 13 organizations pledged to combine their efforts for the first time to bring a unified safety message to agricultural communities.
By Fall 2006, the “Keep Kids Away From Tractors” public service campaign was launched (materials can be found under the Media section). The primary print ad depicts a grandfather and child on a tractor, with the slogan, “It’s easier to bury a tradition than a child.” Press releases were transmitted and picked up by national media outlets. Two additional ads were created surrounding the “Keep Kids Away from Tractors” theme.
In November 2006, a country western musician, Michael Peterson, agreed to serve as the campaign’s spokesperson and recorded radio and television PSAs.
In January 2007, CASN members launched a nationwide dissemination plan to promote the message, with all 17 member organizations participating.
At of the end of 2008, the campaign had been featured on an agricultural television network consisting of 120 stations, several individual television stations, an unknown number of radio stations, and at least 125 agricultural trade journals, newspapers and newsletters.
The CASN network has begun plans to develop a new campaign late 2009.