Agricultural Safety: 2008 Injuries to Youth of Racial Minority Farms

Agricultural Safety: 2008 Injuries to
Youth on Racial Minority-Operated
Farms

ISSN: 2156-3454

Released August 5, 2010, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA).

Injuries to Youth on Racial Minority-Operated Farms in the United States, 2000, 2003, 2008
In 2008, there were an estimated 86,834 farms operated by racial minorities in the United States, increasing 64 percent
since 2000. Agriculture-related injuries to youth under 20 years of age on these farms have decreased from 12.4 injuries
per 1,000 farms in 2000 to 6.0 injuries per 1,000 farms in 2008. In 2000, there were 654 injuries to youth who lived on,
worked on, or visited a racial minority-operated farm in the U.S., compared to 627 injuries in 2003, and 516 injuries
in 2008. These findings are based on a series of telephone surveys of racial minority-operated farms conducted by the
National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
Farm operators were asked questions about injuries to youth less than 20 years of age that occurred on their farms in three
separate surveys covering the years 2000, 2003, and 2008. An injury was defined as any condition occurring on the farm
operation resulting in at least 4 hours of restricted activity or requiring professional medical attention.
Estimates of Agricultural-Related Injuries to Youth Under 20 Years Old Living On Minority-Operated
Farms - United States: 2000, 2003, and 2008
[Operators of Hispanic Descent could also have potentially been reported under any of the listed racial groups]
Working and non-working youth
Year

In-business
farms1

2000

52,907

533,682

10.1

654

1.2

12.4

2003

56,967

736,436

12.9

627

0.9

11.0

2008

86,834

819,877

9.4

516

0.6

6.0

Total youth2

Total youth per
farm

Total injuries3

Injuries per 1000
youth

Injuries per
1000 farms

Working youth
Year

In-business
farms1

2000

52,907

43,357

0.8

245

5.7

4.6

2003

56,967

45,739

0.8

228

5.0

4.0

2008
86,834
67,556
0.8
194
2.9
1
Estimated number of farms still in business based on the minority farm operator youth farm injury study.
2
Total youth population on minority-operated farms, including hired youth, visitors and relatives, whether working or non-working.
3
Includes work-related and non-work-related injuries.
4
Total working youth on minority-operated farms, including relatives.

2.2

Working youth4

Working youth
per farm

Work injuries

Injuries per 1000
youth

Injuries per
1000 farms

For 2008, injuries most often occurred on farms operated by Native-Americans (9.4 injuries per 1,000 farms) and
operators of Multiple Races (9.1 injuries per 1,000 farms). As shown in the following table, injuries per 1,000 farms for
Native American and Multiple Race-operated farms were lower than seen in 2003. Injuries per 1,000 farms also decreased
for Asian- and Black- operated farms. Comparisons of the 2003 and 2008 results to those found in 2000 for
Multiple/Other Races cannot be made due to changes in the definition of these race categories.

Estimates of Agricultural-Related Injuries to Youth Under 20 Years Old On Minority-Operated Farms by
Race of the Farm Operator - United States: 2000, 2003, and 2008
[Operators of Hispanic Descent could also have potentially been reported under any of the listed racial groups]
Working and non-working youth
Minority group

Asian

Black

Native American

Other/Multiple1

Injuries per 1000
youth

Total injuries3

Injuries per 1000
farms

Year

Total youth2

2000

50,818

55

1.1

6.7

2003

70,154

35

0.5

3.7

2008

81,812

23

0.3

1.9

2000

212,521

143

0.7

6.4

2003

322,676

89

0.3

3.1

2008

230,023

75

0.3

2.6

2000

154,373

321

2.1

27.8

2003

230,964

395

1.7

25.5

2008

372,666

314

0.8

9.4

2000

115,970

133

1.1

12.3

2003

112,642

107

0.9

14.0

2008

135,376

110

0.8

9.1

Working youth
Minority group

Asian

Black

Native American

1

Other/Multiple

Injuries per 1000
Youth

Injuries per 1000
farms

Year

Working youth4

2000

5,970

14

2.3

1.7

2003

5,865

29

4.9

3.3

2008

3,453

5

2000

12,526

58

4.6

2.6

2003

16,130

30

1.9

1.1

2008

13,856

36

2.6

1.2

2000

14,892

117

7.9

10.1

2003

17,094

126

7.4

8.7

2008

42,662

124

2.9

3.7

2000

9,970

56

5.6

5.2

2003

6,649

44

6.6

6.1

Work injuries

5
2008
7,586
1
Data from 2000 not comparable to 2003 and 2008 because of changes in definition of "Other " and "Multiple" Races
2
Total youth population on minority-operated farms, including hired youth, visitors and relatives, whether working or non-working.
3
Includes work-related and non-work-related injuries.
4
Total working youth on minority-operated farms, including relatives.
5
Estimate is not reportable or is suppressed because of a non-reportable cell.

Youth living on the farm operation accounted for 421 injuries in 2000, 412 injuries in 2003, and 291 injuries in 2008. In
each year hired youth experienced less than 10 percent of all injuries. In 2008 and 2003 males accounted for 60 percent
and 62 percent of all injuries, and 72 percent of all injuries in 2000. Youth less than 10 years of age were the injured
youth in 31 percent of events in 2000, 30 percent in 2003, and 28 percent in 2008. Youth 10-15 years of age accounted
for most of the injuries in all three years. In 2000 youth 10 to 15 years of age incurred 284 injuries, decreasing to
247 injuries in 2003 and 218 injuries in 2008. Youth aged 16 to 19 years incurred 159 injuries in 2000, 150 injuries
in 2003, and 137 in 2008.
In each year, less than 40 percent of the childhood injuries occurring on these farm operations were classified as
non-work-related. In 2000, 245 injuries (37 percent) were work-related while 228 injuries (36 percent) were work- related
in 2003 and 194 injuries (37 percent) were reported to be work-related in 2008. In 2003 and 2008, approximately
70 percent of all work-related injuries occurred to male youth, compared to 87 percent in 2000. Most work injuries were
to youth 16 to 19 years of age; forty-three percent in 2000, 37 percent in 2003, and 48 percent in 2008.
Among youth living on the farm (household youth), males accounted for 70 percent of all injuries in 2000, 58 percent
in 2003, and 61 percent in 2008. Most injured household youth were 10 to 15 years of age. Youth in this age range
incurred 195 injuries (46 percent) in 2000, 160 injuries (39 percent) in 2003, and 126 injuries (43 percent) in 2008.
Approximately 40 percent of injuries to youth living on the farm were work-related in each of these years: 245 workrelated injuries in 2000, 227 in 2003, and 192 in 2008.
NIOSH sponsored this survey to better understand the magnitude and scope of working agricultural-related injuries to
youth on racial-minority operated farms. The survey was conducted as part of the NIOSH Childhood Agricultural Injury
Prevention Initiative. For further information, contact John Myers, NIOSH, at (304) 285-6005 or Mark Gutierrez,
USDA/NASS at (202) 690-2389.

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