A snapshot of the agriculture workforce, the economic toll of worker injuries and the benefits of investing in safety are included in a new graphics-driven fact sheet released by the Agricultural Safety and Health Council of America (ASHCA).The annual cost of occupational injuries in agriculture is $8.3 billion in medical costs and lost productivity, according to, "Facts 2015 Be Safe. Be Profitable." The typical cost of one tractor overturn is $1 million.
An effective safety program, however, saves $4 to $6 for every $1 invested, according to ASHCA, a not-for-profit coalition of agribusinesses, producer organizations and safety professionals.
Other facts:
- Although 87 percent of farms are operated by individuals or families, hired workers perform 60 percent of the work on U.S. farms. Eighty percent of those employees are foreign-born.
- The agriculture/forestry/fishing sector charts the highest rate of occupational deaths across all industries, 22.2 per 100,000 workers (480 total deaths).
- An estimated 115 children die in the farm workplace each year. Eighty percent of them were merely present -- not working.
The world will need 70 percent more food by 2050 for the predicted 9.5 billion people. Productive, efficient agriculture includes the preservation and well-being of agricultural workers at every level.
To learn more about ASHCA, the organizations behind it and the ASHCA safety-grants program, visit www.ashca.org.
12.30.2014