Farm Safety Fact Sheets

Posted on January 8, 2015 by in Farming Resources // 0 Comments

ASHCA Releases 2015 Safety Fact Sheets - From an ASHCA release:

A snapshot of the agriculture workforce, the economic toll of worker injuries and the benefits of investing in safety are included in a new graphics-driven fact sheet released by the Agricultural Safety and Health Council of America (ASHCA). The annual cost of occupational injuries in agriculture is $8.3 billion in medical costs and lost productivity, according to, "Facts 2015 -Be Safe. Be Profitable." The typical cost of one tractor overturn is $1 million. An effective safety program, however, saves $4 to $6 for every $1 invested, according to ASHCA, a not-for-profit coalition of agribusinesses, producer organizations and safety professionals. Other Facts: Although 87 percent of farms are operated by individuals or families, hired workers perform 60 percent of the work on U.S. farms. Eighty percent of those employees are foreign-born. The agriculture/forestry/fishing sector charts the highest rate of occupational deaths across all industries, 22.2 per 100,000 workers (480 total deaths). An estimated 115 children die in the farm workplace each year. Eighty percent of them were merely present - not working. The world will need 70 percent more food by 2050 for the predicted 9.5 billion people. Productive, efficient agriculture includes the preservation and well-being of agricultural workers at every level. To learn more about ASHCA, the organizations behind it and the ASHCA safety-grants program, visit www.ashca.org. To view the fact sheets, click "read more".