Feature Article: Farm Safety and Children

John Shutske, Extension Agricultural Safety & Health Specialist, Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, University of Minnesota (shutske@gaia.bae.umn.edu)

Summaries of Farm Fatalities and Serious Injuries Involving Children in Minnesota and Surrounding States, Fall 2000

The following, accidents reflect the most tragic incidents involving young farm children in the Upper Midwest during the fall of 2000. These are not freak accidents. They are preventable injuries.

Aug. 11 -- Collin Scott Thompson, 4, of Flandreau, SD, was run over by a dump wagon on his family farm. His father was pulling the wagon off the farm lot with a four-wheeler when Collin jumped off and was run over. He died at a local hospital the next day.

Sept. 17 -- Farmer is killed in Steele, ND, when header of a combine drops on him. Preliminary information indicates a 2-year-old child who was in the cab of the combine may have caused the header to drop.

Sept. 18 -- Parker Sebens, 3, of Milnor, ND, loses both arms when he becomes entangled in a grain auger. Sargent County (ND) Sheriff's Department spokesperson said the auger intake was not shielded or guarded.

Sept. 23 -- Mitchell Prince, 10, of Ladysmith, WI, is killed while helping to chop silage on his grandfather's farm in the Township of Radisson (WI). He was pulled into the silage chopper box and became entangled in the running equipment.

Sept. 27 -- 4-year-old girl from Franklin, WI loses her arm after she wanders away from her backyard sandbox into a cornfield where her father is harvesting corn. Her father didn't see her and ran her over. The chopper amputated her arm at the shoulder.

Oct. 18 -- Matthew Scheffert, 19 months, drowns in a runoff gutter near a hog feedlot on his family's rural Waseca, MN farm. The toddler had been wandering around the farm site while his father was digging dirt. When the father couldn't find him, he began searching, and found him face down in the gutter.

Oct. 21 -- 9-year-old boy from West Bend, WI loses his arm after becoming caught in a portable elevator being used to load cob corn into a corn crib on a farm in the Township of Trenton (WI). He had been freed from the elevator by the time rescue crews arrived, but his right arm was amputated.

Adults must remember:

Young children are not responsible for their own safety.
You cannot do farm work and supervise a young child at the same time.
Young children do not belong at the farm work site.

What can farm parents do?

Investigate all options that would enable you to keep young children away from the work site. Could you leave them with a neighbor, a friend, or another responsible adult?

Clearly think out your priorities. How much risk are you willing to take when it comes to your children's safety?

Discuss these issues with all family members. If there is disagreement, consider talking to your pastor, county Extension Educator, health care provider, neighbor, friend, or other trusted community member in an effort to come up with a solution.

If you have older children (age 7 and up) working within your operation, make sure that they have the physical and decision-making abilities to perform assigned jobs safely. Injuries to young workers often occur when they are performing jobs beyond their ability. For information on how to assess a child’s ability to perform many common agricultural tasks including several related to fruit and vegetable production, check out: http://www.nagcat.org

Authors: John Shutske, Ph.D., Extension Agricultural Safety & Health Specialist, University of Minnesota; Michele A., Schermann, RN, Extension Educator, University of Minnesota Extension Service; Nancy M. Esser, Agricultural Youth Safety Specialist, National Children's; Center for Rural & Agricultural Health & Safety, Marshfield, WI; Virginia Fischer, M.S., Health Educator, National Farm Medicine Center, Marshfield, WI; Barbara Marlenga, RN, Ph.D., Associate Scientist, National Children's Center for Rural Agricultural Health & Safety, Marshfield, WI; Mark A. Purschwitz, Ph.D., Extension Agricultural Safety & Health; Specialist, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Gail Scherweit, Safety Coordinator, North Dakota Farm Bureau; Cheryl A. Skjolaas, Youth Agricultural Safety Specialist, University of Wisconsin Center for Agricultural Safety & Health; Barbara Mulhern, Editor, Gempler's ALERT, Belleville, WI; Jayne Thompson-Meier, Farm Labor Specialist, U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division, Madison, WI.

Special thanks to: Barb Mulhern, Editor of the Gempler's ALERT newsletter for summarizing and providing this information related to specific case details. Information used with permission. http://www.gemplersalert.com

For more info., please visit the Farm Safety and Health Information Clearinghouse on the web at: http://www.bae.umn.edu/fs for additional information and facts that might be useful for farm families and agricultural workers in your area.

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Co-Editors: Bill Hutchison, Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, hutch002@tc.umn.edu
Jeanne Ciborowski, IPM Program, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, jeanne.ciborowski@state.mn.us
Cindy Tong, Department of Horticulture, University of Minnesota, ctong@extension.umn.edu
Production Editor: Suzanne Wold, Research Specialist, University of Minnesota, woldx018@tc.umn.edu

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Last Revised January 24, 2001.
The University, including the Minnesota Extension Service, is an equal opportunity educator and employer.©1999 Minnesota Extension Service, University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. Contact copyright@extension.umn.edu for information on reproduction or use of this material.