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Safety director disappointed in DOL decision
The director of the National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety says they’re disappointed that the Department of Labor has withdrawn its proposed rules for children working in agriculture.
Barbara Lee agrees that the parental exemption was confusing but the overall changes would have increased protections for children who are hired to work in farming.
“We’re disappointed in the fact that some of these updated changes that were proposed would actually affect 15 and 16 year olds who are hired in big production agriculture operations.”
She says the responsibility lies with the adults hiring these children to give them proper training and supervision because accidents with tractors, skid steers and other equipment remain the leading causes of injury and death for kids on the farm.
Lee says they have a series of reports of children who have died after becoming entangled in machinery because they were wearing loose clothing that caught up in it. She says those children should have been told the proper attire to wear and been advised that there were no guards on the machinery.
Lee says more must be done to get safety information to organizations that hire young farm workers.
Lee is also the senior research scientist at the National Farm Medicine Center in Marshfield, Wisconsin. She says the Center can be a helpful resource for information on youth farm safety.
National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety
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