Despite efforts by the federal government to regulate farm safety, many farmers across the country have largely accepted that accidents and injuries are an unavoidable part of agricultural life and can best be prevented by local safety-awareness efforts, not government regulation.
A few years ago, the US Department of Labor sought to update agricultural child labor laws. These laws and regulations had not been updated for more than twenty years, leading some safety advocates to push for a thorough overhaul.
The proposed regulations would have significantly restricted the ability of minors to work on farms. Children under 16 would have been prevented from operating powered machinery, working in silos, or working with certain animal breeds. Even though the regulations contained exemptions for children working on family farms, many farmers chaffed at the idea.
Safety advocates argued that the regulations were necessary and pointed out that farming remained one of the top ten most dangerous jobs in the country. While farmers across the country have accepted that their profession is an inherently dangerous one, they have argued that federal regulations will do little to make it safer.
Many farmers have pointed out recent reports suggesting that the total number of injuries is on the decline, largely because of voluntary safety-awareness measure enacted by farmers and farm advocacy groups.
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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer