It’s the third week of September, which means it is once again time for the annual “National Farm Safety and Health Week” in the U.S. For many rural areas, harvest season is the busiest time of year, and also one of the most dangerous. Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the agriculture industry is consistently at the highest risk for occupational injuries and fatalities, with 453 fatalities in 2021, or an equivalent of 19.5 deaths per 100,000 workers. Farming is also one of the few industries in which family members, including children, are also at risk for fatal and nonfatal injuries.
The theme of this year’s National Farm Safety Week, “Safety Today, Success Tomorrow.” serves as a reminder to farmers, ranchers, and other ag professionals to be proactive about safety.
To help farms, ranches, and other operations refresh their safety practices and awareness, free webinars will be hosted each weekday that focus on accident prevention, mental and physical health, and safety best practices. Each live webinar will be available at AgriSafe HERE. The schedule includes:
Monday, Sept. 21 – Equipment and Rural Roadway Safety
11 a.m. CDT – Pathways to Progress: Safer Routes, Stronger Communities
1 p.m. CDT – These Shared Roads: Using Stories in Rural Roadway Safety Education
Tuesday, Sept. 22 – Health and Wellness
11 a.m. CDT – CALM Conversations on Access to Lethal Means
1 p.m. CDT – Noise in Agriculture: An Overlooked Occupational Hazard
3 p.m. CDT – The Cost of Fatigue in Agriculture: Practical Solutions to Protect Workers and Increase Productivity
Wednesday, Sept. 23 – Generations of Farming
11 a.m. CDT – Telling the Story: Using Personal Experiences to Strengthen Farm Safety and Well-Being
Thursday, Sept. 24 – Confined Space
11 a.m. CDT – Confined Space Safety in Agriculture
1 p.m. CDT – Increasing Awareness for Confined Space Safety
3 p.m. CDT – More than FEMA: Building True Rural Disaster Resilience
Friday, Sept. 25 – Cancer Prevention
11 a.m. CDT – Boots, Bales, Biopsies: Women’s Health on the Farm
1 p.m. CDT – Cancer Knowledge, Exposure Beliefs, and Prevention Behaviors: Insights from Iowa’s Agricultural Communities
AgriSafe also offers training and rescue programs throughout the year on a variety of topics and provides additional webinars to increase awareness for agricultural safety.
The annual National Farm Safety and Health Week promotion was initiated by the National Safety Council and has been proclaimed as such by each sitting U.S. President since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944. National Farm Safety and Health Week is led by the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety (NECAS), the agricultural partner of the National Safety Council. (Sources: Farm Bureau, AgriSafe).
*Below are a couple of cool swag boxes the kids created at AgSwag to help promote safety on the farm. We can create a custom-designed look for your business to provide something similar to your best customers. Email jordan@agswag.com for more information and specifics.
