Area families with children between the age of 7 and 16 will receive the North American Guidelines for Childrens Agricultural Tasks. The publication and the cost of mailing the information was funded by a grant from the Childrens Miracle Network. The guidelines were compiled by the National Childrens Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety, a division of Marshfield Clinic.
Many injuries are preventable.
Youth are at risk because they arent aware what their limits are, Nancy Esser, youth safety specialist with the childrens center. More than 100 U.S. children are killed in farm accidents every year, and another 33,000 are seriously injured, according to Esser. The guidelines are designed to address various farm situations. Parents need to make decisions well in advance what their children are capable of doing, Esser said. Children cant decipher what is inappropriate.