It is important to remember that these figures do not include fatalities that occurred to children under the age of 14 years because in all industries except agriculture, children under that age are not allowed to work. The data collected on agricultural fatalities in New York State mirrors that of the national statistics. According to studies that have been conducted on agricultural injuries, an estimated 22,200 serious injuries and 104 fatalities occur annually to farm youth. This excludes the injuries that were not treated in an emergency department. For rural youth, part-time and summer work on farms and in other agribusiness ventures provides them with a viable opportunity to earn money and gain valuable work skills in locations where jobs are not too plentiful.
Safety is an important job skill that employers require and reward.
In essence, the main goal of the program is to educate youth to be responsible for their own safety in the farm work place, as well as helping to prepare youth for a promising employment future. It is a known fact that most youth learn how to complete farm work activities by watching their parents, siblings, or others do a farm task. It is also known that many farm work activities are done in an unsafe manner or without proper safety devices in place. That is why it is important to provide the Tractor and Machinery Certification training program to youth who will hopefully take the information learned and be a safer employee in the agricultural work place. In addition, they can educate others in safe work practices and in the identification and correction of farm hazards.