CENSUS AIMS TO TRACK DANGER DOWN ON THE FARM

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, February 2, 1993                   TAG: 9302020083
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: B4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: LANSING, MICH.                                LENGTH: Short
CENSUS AIMS TO TRACK DANGER DOWN ON THE FARM
Life on the farm might seem idyllic, but it also can be dangerous. Just how hazardous, no one knows - but the U.S. Census Bureau soon may find out.
Monday was the deadline for farmers to return more than 2 million questionnaires the bureau sent them late last year. For the first time since 1840, the government's five-year agriculture census asked farmers about on-the-job accidents.
"The Norman Rockwell picture is fine in July. It might be `Little House On The Prairie' then," said Michigan Agriculture Director Bill Schuette. "But at harvest time, you've got your money on the ground.
"When you're working hard to bring it in, accidents can happen. With all that heavy equipment, it can be a dangerous profession."
The agricultural census is considered the best source of data about American farmers. It gives the government a glimpse of who they are, where they live, what they grow and how much they earn.
Now, it also will tell health experts how many farmers and farm workers were hurt or killed.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration keeps injury statistics on nearly every business, but not on most farms or ranches. Family farms are too small to have to file reports.
Nationally, the American farm had a death rate of 44 workers per 100,000 in 1991, the latest year for which National Safety Council estimates were available. Mining was next with 43 deaths per 100,000 workers, followed by construction with 31. By contrast, four in 100,000 manufacturing workers died on the job in 1991.
Keywords:
FATALITY

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB