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Farm Work is Dangerous for Teens: Agricultural Hazards and Injuries Among North Carolina Teens

Author: Schulman, Michael D.; Evensen, Christian T.; Runyan, Carol W;
Date Published: 1997


Children who work in agriculture suffer more than 23,000 injuries and 300 fatalities on American farms every year. Using survey data collected from a random sample of working teens (ages 14 to 17) in North Carolina, tthis report analyzes the farm-based hazard exposure and injury experiences of teens who work on farms. The group of farmworker teens is 72 percent male, has a mean age of 16.6 years, and is, on average, in the 10th grade. The data show that teens working on farms in North Carolina are exposed to significant safety hazards throughout their farmworker careers. A majority of the respondents in this group of farmworkers reported exposure to tractors, large animals, all-terrain vehicles, farm trucks, and rotary mowers, and more than one-third reported exposure to pesticides and tobacco harvesters. Common reported injuries include insect stings, cuts burns, and falls, The researchers find that gender age, and farmworker experiences are related to variations in types of hazards to which teens are exposed and in the types of injuries they suffer. These variables also are related to the overall complexity of the teens' farm work experiences and the burden of injury endured by teens.

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Number of Pages: 11