Children’s Farm Injuries Bury a Tradition

The National Injury Prevention Program of the Hospital for Sick Children

Children’s Farm Injuries Bury a Tradition

June 2008


Safe Kids Canada

• National injury prevention program of Sick Kids

• Formed in 1992 by Dr. David Wesson based on a model from the US

• Knowledge broker – turning research to action

• Collaborate with partners and key stakeholders to build capacity for injury prevention

• Advocate for safer environments and standards

• Corporately funded


Safe Kids Canada

• Programs

• Child passenger, home, pedestrian, rural/farm, recreation, rail

• Safe Kids Week – annual, national campaign

• Advocacy and Public Policy

• bike helmets, booster seats, four-side fencing, ATVs, product safety

• Communications

• www.safekidscanada.ca

• 1-888 SAFE TIPS


Setting the StageThe Picture of Children’s Injuries

• Agricultural injuries to children are a recurrent problem because of the uniqueness of the environment encompassing work, home, play spaces

• Variety of injury patterns unique to the agricultural population - diversity of the population

• children, adults, older adults, workers

• Rural children are approximately twice as likely to suffer an injury than urban children


In Canada, between 1990 and 2000

• 235 children were killed in agricultural injury events

• 2,968 children were hospitalized due to traumatic injury

• Overall, children accounted to 18.8% of all agricultural injury fatalities and 19% of identified hospital cases

• 70% of fatalities for children under age 7 can be attributed to three mechanisms of injury

• High risk group includes children of owner-operators


*All statistics from Canadian Agricultural Injury Surveillance Program




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JanuaryFebruaryM

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JuneJuly

August

September

October

Novem

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Fatal agricultural injuries in children and youth by month




Hospitalized agricultural injuries in children and youth by month

15 14

36 38

58 57

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57

43

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1-4 5-8 9-12 13-15

Age group

Males

Females

Fatal agricultural injuries in children and youth by age group and gender




Hospitalized agricultural injuries in children and youth by age group and gender

105

43

105

43

97

35

114

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<5 5-8 9-12 13-15

Males Females


• Focus has been on work-related injuries to children - but the reality is that most children injured in an agricultural environment are:

males under 6 years and are injured when

brought into a farm work site while others

are actively engaged in farm work




• Farming culture plays a significant role

• Traditions passed from one generation to the next

• Pressures of farming – economics, time constraints, workload issues

• Farm work space is not governed by workplace standards or legislation but voluntary standards

Would you take your childonto this work site?


• Leading causes of fatalities in Canada:

• bystander tractor runover

• extra-rider tractor runover

• vehicle rollovers

• drowning




• Leading causes of hospitalization in Canada:

• machinery entanglement

• falls from heights

• animal-related trauma

• runover



• Common patterns associated with injury risk:

• Inadequate supervision of small children

• Permitting children to be in the area of moving or unguarded machinery

• Allowing children to accompany workers using farm machinery

• Having children performing work related tasks or non-work related activities inappropriate for their age



• We know who

• Children under six years of age

• Boys

• We know why

• Presence on farm work site

• Supervision

• Involved in tasks that aren’t age appropriate



• We know how

• Tractors

• Runover, rollover, entanglement

• Drowning

• Entanglement

• Animal trauma

• Falls


Now What?


Prevention Strategies

• Separation of child from work hazards

• Child care options that are flexible, convenient and accessible

• Safe spaces to play

• Age appropriate tasks

• Adequate supervision

• Use of safety devices and procedures


Prevention StrategiesChildren’s Agricultural Safety Network (CASN)•North American campaign focusing on:

•Posters, PSAs, radio and television spots•Launched in Ontario in 2007 with support from the Ministry of Health Promotion•Engaged public health units and community groups to deliver the key messages and resources






For more information

Visit: safekidscanada.ca

Call: 1-888 SAFE TIPS

Email: [email protected]

Thank you.

Documents

Children’s Farm Injuries Bury a Tradition