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Response to Children’s Deaths and Injuries in
2000
Late last year, a group of farm safety educators, child
development experts, parents, and others gathered informally
in central Wisconsin to discuss the alarming number of farm
workplace injuries and deaths involving young children
during the last half of 2000.
For example:
- A 4-year-old Wisconsin girl wandered away from her
sandbox into a cornfield where her father was chopping
corn. He didn’t see her and ran her over with the
forage harvester, amputating her arm.
- A 3-year-old North Dakota boy was in the back of his
dad’s pickup truck while his dad used an auger to
move grain. His dad stepped out of the truck to shut off
the tractor; the 3-year-old became entangled in the auger
and lost both arms.
- A 19-month-old Minnesota boy was with his father, who
was working on the family farm. His father suddenly
realized he could not see his son. He found him face down
in 15 inches of water in an 18-inch deep gutter that
collects runoff from the feedlot. Efforts to revive the
toddler were unsuccessful.
In response to these and other incidents, the working
group developed the following public statement:
“These are just three of the recent tragic incidents
involving young farm children in the Upper Midwest. These
are not freak accidents. They are preventable injuries.
Adults must remember that:
- Young children are not responsible for their own
safety.
- You cannot do farm work and supervise a young child
at the same time.
- Young children do not belong at the farm work
site.
What can farm parents do?
- Investigate all options that would enable you to keep
young children away from the work site. Could you leave
them with a neighbor, a friend, or another responsible
adult?
- Clearly think out your priorities. How much risk are
you willing to take when it comes to your children’s
safety?
- Discuss these issues with all family members. If
there is disagreement, consider talking to your pastor,
county Extension Educator, health care provider,
neighbor, friend, or other trusted community member in an
effort to come up with a solution.”
The following individuals signed this public
statement:
John Shutske, Ph.D., Extension
Agricultural Safety & Health Specialist, University of Minnesota
Michele A., Schermann, RN, Extension Educator, University of
Minnesota Extension Service
Mark A. Purschwitz, Ph.D., Extension Agricultural Safety
& Health Specialist, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Nancy M. Esser, Agricultural Youth Safety Specialist,
National Children’s Center for Rural & Agricultural
Health & Safety, Marshfield, WI
Virginia Fischer, M.S., Health Educator, National Farm
Medicine Center, Marshfield, WI Barbara Marlenga, RN, Ph.D.,
Associate Scientist, National Children’s Center for
Rural Agricultural Health & Safety, Marshfield, WI
Gail Scherweit, Safety Coordinator, North Dakota Farm
Bureau
Cheryl A. Skjolaas, Youth Agricultural Safety Specialist,
University of Wisconsin Center for Agricultural Safety &
Health
Barbara Mulhern, Editor, Gempler’s ALERT, Belleville,
WI
Jayne Thompson-Meier, Farm Labor Specialist, U.S. Department
of Labor Wage and Hour Division, Madison, WI
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