Last week was promoted as Ag Safety Awareness Week by the Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center to highlight health and safety resources for farmers, workers and their families.
As a rural legislator who has served as an ag policy chair, I have spent a good deal of time talking about and working on agriculture issues. But, until a few years ago, I had spent little time on agriculture safety. Fortunately, that has changed.
In 2015, the issue began rising in prominence after the Minneapolis Star Tribune ran a series highlighting the growing problem of farm safety. These articles raised public awareness and renewed legislative interest in the issue.
As our conversations unfolded, we were confronted with some concerning numbers that highlighted the need for action. Despite representing about 2 percent of our state workforce, agriculture accounted for more than 30 percent of workplace fatalities in 2014, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Farm workers face a myriad of potential hazards in their daily work, and their injuries and illnesses have real impacts on their daily lives. A recent Minnesota Department of Health study concluded the costs associated with farm-related accidents range from $21 million to $31 million annually.
During the 2016 session, there was broad bipartisan support to address tractor safety - an area identified as a leading cause of farm-related deaths and one that had a viable solution. That same year the Minnesota Legislature appropriated $250,000 to establish the Rollover Protective Structures Rebate Program to make tractor safety equipment affordable and simple to order.
ADVERTISEMENT
The program reimburses farmers and schools at least 70 percent of the cost of purchasing, shipping and installing a rollover protection kit - a roll bar and safety belt - limiting an applicant's cost per tractor to no more than $500. Roll bars and seat belts are 99 percent effective in preventing death and serious injury in the event of a rollover.
The money has already helped many farmers address this significant safety concern. More bills to reinvest in this effort have already been moving through the process this session.
The 2016 legislature also created a Farm Safety Work Group of stakeholders to gather additional information and analyze best practices from the region. Their report identified numerous national and regional organizations that are conducting research and education and developing products and technologies that will help enhance these farm safety efforts. However, we need to have a more concerted effort to work with and use the resources these organizations are offering.
Minnesota needs to advance the initiatives identified in the Work Group report and not lose focus on the importance of this issue. We are spurred forward by new states considering implementing similar programs and are hopeful that more states will join us in continuing this important work. We have seen the benefits of safety efforts in other high risk professions and believe there is no reason we can't do more to support the health and safety of farm workers and their families.
Editor's note: Each month during legislative sessions, Agweek will feature the Legislative Roundup from senators and representatives in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Montana. Each guest writer will offer perspective on the latest session and the highlights as they relate to agriculture. Sen. Sparks is a Democrat who represents District 27 in Minnesota. He recently served as the chair of the Jobs, Agriculture and Rural Development Committee and is now the caucus lead on the Commerce Committee.
