Farm Workers 800% More Likely to Die on the Job
Did you know farm workers are 800% more likely to die on the job than in other industries?
Farm Workers Have High Fatality Rates
That’s a staggering statistic! And according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, fatalities and injuries among agricultural are on the rise.
The unfortunate truth is that if you’re a farm worker, you’re also working in one of the most hazardous industries in the nation. The National Safety Council reports that of the approximately 3.1 million people who work on America’s 2.3 million farms and ranches, 1,300 die each year and 120,000 are injured.
That means, for every 100,000 farmers, about 25 die each year. Also, equipment injures another 243. Five percent of these injuries result in permanent disability.
300 Youth Farm Workers Die Annually
Many farm fatalities involve youth. The National Center for Farmworker Health estimates between 180,000 and 800,000 agricultural in the United States under 18. More than 300 of these children die each year in farming-related accidents.
In 2012, the U.S. Labor Department attempted to ban children under 16 from using power-driven farm equipment, including tractors—which account for the majority of farm accidents—and to prevent youth under 18 from working in grain silos, feed lots and stockyards. However, the proposal was widely rejected. Click here to see a table of the USLD’s state by state Child Labor Laws for Agricultural Employment.
Contact Us
Defective farm equipment results in farm accidents. Also, you may receive compensation. If you are an injured farm worker, if one of your family members has been injured or died working on a farm, or if you have lost wages due to injury, contact us for a free and totally confidential consultation.