Injury and asthma among youth less than 20 years of age on minority farm operations in the United States, 2000. Vol. 2. Hispanic national data ; Hispanic national data

In: http://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/6697/

Abstract

"This document provides previously unavailable youth demographic, injury and asthma estimates at the national level for youth on Hispanic-operated farms in the U.S. A Hispanic is defined as any person of Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino origin. These data represent the initial step in developing research and prevention programs to reduce the burden of injury and asthma on Hispanic farms in the U.S. What are the hazards? According to data from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there were 366 estimated youth less than 20 years of age injured on Hispanic farm operations in the U.S. in 2000. Major causes of these injuries included contact with objects and falls. In addition, there were an estimated 1,299 youth with asthma living on these farms. The injury and asthma estimates reported here should be considered conservative because of the potential for recall bias and other biases in the survey. How are youth exposed or put at risk? Exposures to farm hazards are not limited to youth who work on farms. In addition to injuries sustained during work activities, youth may be injured while living on farms, while visiting farms, or when they accompany their working parents or adults into the fields. The farm environment also contains many known triggers for asthma. The injury and asthma hazards these youth encounter may be work or non-work in nature, and make the farm a unique environment for developing prevention strategies. What recommendations have the federal government made to protect the health of farm youth? The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) and its amendments set standards for child labor in agriculture. However, the FLSA covers only employees whose work involves production of agricultural goods, which will leave the state through interstate commerce. In addition, FLSA regulations do not apply to youth working for their parents or guardian(s) on the family's farm. Youth who work on farms are often not protected by workplace safety and health regulations from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) because these youth frequently work for small operations that are not inspected by OSHA, or because OSHA regulations do not apply to the farm household members. For all youth on farms, there are no protections for injuries from hazards associated with non-work activities, which often expose them to the same hazards as work activities. Given the limited protections for youth on farms, there is a need for states and communities to develop and implement programs to reduce childhood agricultural injuries." - NIOSHTIC-2 ; John R. Myers, Kitty J. Hendricks, Larry A. Layne, and E. Michael Goldcamp. ; "October 2005." ; Includes bibliographical references: p. (12-13).