The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of the U.S. Department of Labor (USDL) has released the National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries in 2009. Overall, fatal work injuries are down from 2008 (-16.7%), and it is the lowest number since 1992. The rate of fatal injuries for U.S. workers in 2009 was 3.3 per 100,000 workers. Fishermen are still the number 1 occupation with fatal injuries (200 per 100,000), followed by logging workers (61.8/100,000), aircraft pilots and flight engineers (57.1/100,000) and farmers and ranchers (38.5/100,000).

Some facts about safety in the agricultural workplace:

Agriculture ranks among the most hazardous industries. Farmers are at very high risk for fatal and nonfatal injuries. Farming is one of the few industries in which the families (who often share the work and live on the premises) are also at risk for fatal and nonfatal injuries.

Approximately 1,818,000 fulltime workers were employed in production agriculture in the United States in 2008. During this same year, 456 farmers and farm workers died from a work-related injury for a fatality rate of 25.1 deaths per 100,000 workers.

An estimated 1.12 million children and adolescents under 20 years of age resided on farms in 2006, with about 590,000 of these youth performing work on the farms. In addition to the youth who live on farms, an additional 307,000 children and adolescents were hired to work on U.S. farms in 2006.

On average, 113 youth less than 20 years of age die annually from farm-related injuries (1995-2002), with most of these deaths occurring to youth 16-19 years of age (34%).

Of the leading sources of fatal injuries to youth on U.S. farms, 23% percent involved machinery (includes tractors), 19% involved motor vehicles (includes ATVs) and 16% were due to drowning.

In 2006, an estimated 23,100 children and adolescents were injured on farms; 5,800 of these injuries were due to farm work.

Between 1992 and 2007, 8,088 farmers and farm workers died from work-related injuries in the United States. The leading cause of death for these workers was tractor overturns, accounting for an average of 96 deaths annually.

The most effective way to prevent tractor overturn deaths is the use of a Roll-Over Protective Structure (ROPS). In 2006, only 59% of tractors used on U.S. farms were equipped with ROPS. If ROPS were placed on all tractors used on U.S. farms manufactured since the mid-1960s, the prevalence of ROPS-equipped tractors could be increased to over 80%.

Every day, about 243 agricultural workers suffer lost-work-time injury. Five percent of these injuries result in permanent impairment.