Jun 20, 2019

Child agricultural injury protection workshop topic in Southeast

An interactive workshop focusing on child agricultural injury prevention in the Southeastern United States is scheduled for Aug. 6-7 in Lexington, Kentucky.

“We’ll coach participants on how to work with farmers and farm supervisors to protect children who live, work and play on farms and ranches,” said Joan Mazur, Ph.D., deputy director of the Southeast Center for Agricultural Health and Injury Prevention at the University of Kentucky.

About three children die from an agriculture-related incident each day, and another 33 are injured daily. More injuries occur during summer, when children are on break from school and working longer hours on farms. The Associated Press featured child agricultural safety in a recent story, and cited workshop co-host National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety, part of Marshfield Clinic Research Institute.

The workshop is designed for those who work in or with the agriculture industry, and wish to improve their knowledge and dissemination of child agricultural injury prevention strategies, Mazur said. Attendees at previous workshops have included insurance professionals, healthcare providers, daycare and early childhood educators, Extension, agribusiness, public health officials, media and farm organization representatives.

The early bird deadline is July 6 ($199 registration fee), and scholarships are available to assist with the cost of registration. More information, including the registration link, is available at https://marshfieldresearch.org/CAIP-Workshop_Kentucky.

Westfield Insurance, John Deere and the National Farm Medicine Center are co-sponsoring the workshop, which will be located at the Embassy Suites by Hilton at Lexington Green.

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to: 

• Understand the leading causes of injuries to children who are either working or playing on farms;

• Describe interventions most likely to be effective in preventing childhood farm injuries; and

• Identify their (and their organization’s) unique role in helping farm children grow up happy and healthy.

For more workshop information, email [email protected] or call 1-800-662-6900. The National Children’s Center and the Southeast Center are funded in part by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.