....For those who call farming and the agricultural industry their own, a fatality rate nearly 8 times the national average should not be a source of pride. A few modest safety protections for agricultural workers under age 16, probably less than 15,000 youngsters nationwide, should be embraced. Those of us from non-farming families want those farming kids around long past their teen years. They are the next generation of scientists, engineers, farmers, nurses, truckers, pilots or whatever they choose to be...
For U.S. workers, the risk of dying on the job is highest if you are employed in agricultural, fishing or hunting. These jobs are not just a little riskier than the average job, they are nearly 8 times more life-threatening. The fatality rate for all private sector workers is 3.5 per 100,000 workers; in agriculture, fishing and hunting, the rate is 26.8 deaths per 100,000 workers. Combine these statistics with age-specific fatality rates and it was time for the US Department of Labor (DOL) to review the adequacy of its safety regulations for children working in farming jobs. The rules currently enforce by DOL date back to 1970.
In September, DOL's Wage and Hour Division (the agency responsible for enforcement of theFair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA)) issued a proposal to change some of its existing safety regulations for youth under age 16, who are in an employee/employer relationship working in agricultural jobs. Typically these young workers are 13-15 year olds, but youngsters aged 12 and even younger are known to have paid agricultural jobs. (The FSLA does not cover workers aged 16 years or older in agricultural jobs, so DOL's proposal doesn't address those workers.)
For those of us who have studied children's environmental health, we know that children are NOT just little adults. Physiologically, psychosocially, and all other ways, individuals are not fully mature until they reach their early 20's---and some take longer than others. That's the exact reason why special protections and precautions are needed, especially for those in their teens.
