Youth Agricultural Work–Related Injuries Treated in Emergency Departments—United States, October 1995-September 1997

Abstract

National estimates and descriptions of agricultural injuries occurring to youths are limited. In 1996, the National Committee for Childhood Agricultural Injury Prevention recommended establishing and maintaining a comprehensive national surveillance system of fatal and nonfatal childhood agricultural injuries. In response to these recommendations, CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) began analyzing existing surveillance data while exploring new data collection strategies. The goals of these efforts are to add to knowledge about the incidence and circumstances of childhood agricultural injuries and to improve collection and analysis of data regarding childhood agricultural injuries. This report presents an analysis of data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) during October 1995-September 1997 for youths aged <20 years, which indicates that youths in this age group are at increased risk for agricultural work-related injuries.