Agricultural Safety: 2008 Injuries to Youth on Hispanic-Operated Farms ISSN: 2156-3454 Released August 5, 2010, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Injuries to Youth on Hispanic-Operated Farms in the United States, 2000, 2003, 2008 In 2008, there were an estimated 53,897 Hispanic-operated farms in the United States, an increase of 82 percent from 2000 (Table 1). Agriculture-related injuries to youth under 20 years of age on these farms have decreased from 14.7 injuries per 1,000 farms in 2000 to 4.8 injuries per 1,000 farms in 2008. In 2008, there were 257 injuries to youth who lived on, worked on, or visited a Hispanic-operated farm in the U.S. compared to 434 in 2000 and 542 injuries in 2003. These findings are based on a series of telephone surveys of Hispanic-operated farms conducted by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Farm operators were asked questions about injuries to youth less than 20 years old that occurred on their farms in three separate surveys covering the years 2000, 2003, and 2008. An injury was defined as any condition occurring on the farm operation resulting in at least 4 hours of restricted activity or requiring professional medical attention. For all three years, male youth accounted for most of these injuries: 72 percent in 2000, 52 percent in 2003, and 60 percent in 2008. Youth 10 to 15 years old accounted for the highest number of injuries in all three years: 162 injuries in 2000, 276 injuries in 2003, and 106 injuries in 2008. Youth less than 10 years of age were the injured youth in 156 events in 2000, 157 of the events in 2003, and 84 events in 2008. Youth aged 16 to 19 years incurred 110 injuries in 2000, 103 injuries in 2003, and 62 in 2008. In each year, less than 40 percent of childhood injuries occurring on these farm operations were classified as work-related. In 2000, 167 injuries (39 percent) were work-related while 204 injuries (38 percent) were work related in 2003 and 81 injuries (32 percent) were work-related in 2008. In each year, hired youth accounted for less than 10 percent of all injuries. In 2000 and 2008, approximately 75 percent of all work-related injuries occurred to male youth, compared to 63 percent in 2003. In 2000 and 2003, most work- related injuries were to youth 16 to 19 years of age; forty-seven percent in 2000 and 58 percent in 2003. In 2008, 59 percent of work-related injuries were to youth 10 to 15 years of age. Youth living on the farm operation (household youth) accounted for 307 injuries in 2000, 335 injuries in 2003, and 144 injuries in 2008. Males accounted for 73 percent of these household youth injuries in 2000, 56 percent in 2003, and 52 percent in 2008. Most injured household youth were 10 to 15 years of age. Youth in this age range incurred 133 injuries (43 percent) in 2000, 179 injuries (53 percent) in 2003, and 64 (45 percent) in 2008. Over 40 percent of injuries to youth living on the farm were work- related in each of these years: 136 work-related injuries in 2000, 139 in 2003, and 59 in 2008. NIOSH sponsored this survey to better understand the magnitude and scope of working agricultural-related injuries to youth on Hispanic-operated farms. The survey was conducted as part of the NIOSH Childhood Agricultural Injury Prevention Initiative. For further information, contact John Myers, NIOSH, at (304) 285-6005 or Mark Gutierrez, at USDA/NASS (202) 690-2389. Estimates of Agricultural-Related Injuries to Youth Under 20 Years Old On Hispanic-Operated Farms - United States: 2000, 2003, and 2008 Working and non-working youth In- Total Injuries Injuries Year business Total youth per Total per 1000 per 1000 farms1 youth2 farm injuries3 youth farms 2000 29,554 343,636 11.6 434 1.3 14.7 2003 47,201 683,573 14.5 542 0.8 11.5 2008 53,897 500,983 9.3 257 0.5 4.8 Working Youth In- Working Injuries Injuries Year business Working youth per Work per 1000 per 1000 farms1 youth4 farm injuries youth farms 2000 29,554 27,323 0.9 167 6.1 5.7 2003 47,201 43,162 0.9 204 4.7 4.3 2008 53,897 30,115 0.6 81 2.7 1.5 1 Estimated number of farms still in business based on the minority farm operator youth farm injury study. 2 Total youth population on Hispanic minority-operated farms, including hired youth, visitors and relatives, whether working or non-working. 3 Includes work-related and non-work-related injuries. 4 Total working youth on minority-operated farms, including relatives. Estimates of Agricultural-Related Injuries to Youth Under 20 Years Old Living On Hispanic-Operated Farms - United States: 2000, 2003, and 2008 Working and non-working household youth Total Total Injuries In- Total household injuries to per 1000 Injuries Year business household youth per household household per 1000 farms1 youth2 farm youth3 youth farms 2000 29,554 21,631 0.7 307 14.2 10.4 2003 47,201 34,495 0.7 335 9.7 7.1 2008 53,897 26,184 0.5 144 5.5 2.7 Working Household Youth Work Injuries per In- Working Working injuries to 1000 working Injuries Year business household youth per household household per 1000 farms1 youth farm youth youth farms 2000 29,554 9,468 0.3 136 14.4 4.6 2003 47,201 15,571 0.3 139 8.9 2.9 2008 53,897 10,776 0.2 59 5.5 1.1 1 Estimated number of farms still in business based on the minority farm operator youth farm injury study. 2 Total youth population living on Hispanic minority-operated farms, whether working or non-working. 3 Includes work-related and non-work-related injuries. 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