A national workshop dedicated to childhood agricultural safety is scheduled for June 23-24 in Des Moines, Iowa. The Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health at UNMC will co-host the event along with the Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health at the University of Iowa, and the National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety. Sponsors of this workshop include John Deere, Westfield Insurance and the National Farm Medicine Center.
The Child Agricultural Injury Prevention (CAIP) Workshop is designed for those who work in or with the agriculture industry, and want to establish and enhance child injury prevention strategies for their organizations.
Registration fee is $249. Scholarships are available to assist with the cost of registration. More information, including the registration link, is available here.
“We’ll coach workshop participants on how to work with farmers and farm supervisors to protect children who live, work and play on farms and ranches,” said Ellen Duysen, Central States Center coordinator.
The workshop is expected to draw participants from producer groups, insurance, FFA, health care, extension, agribusiness, public health and media.
“All these professions have a role to play in protecting kids on farms,” said Stephanie Leonard, an occupational safety manager at the University of Iowa who also writes a safety column for Iowa Farmer Today. Leonard will give a workshop presentation on partnering with media.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:
- Understand the leading causes of injuries to children who are either working or playing on farms;
- Describe interventions most likely to be effective in preventing childhood farm injuries; and
- Identify their (and their organization’s) unique role in helping farm children grow up happy and healthy.
“Protecting our children needs to be a priority,” Duysen said. “A child dies in an agricultural incident about every three days in the United States.”
The workshop will be co-located with the International Society for Agricultural Safety and Health (ISASH) annual conference, which begins June 24 and runs through June 27. Those who register for both the workshop and the ISASH Conference will save $50 on the combined registration fees. Both events will be held at the Embassy Suites Downtown Des Moines.
For more workshop information, email or call 1-800-662-6900. The National Children’s Center is funded in part by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.