| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | CONTACT: Ron Zellar |
| September 14, 2007 | (406) 444-3144 |
Age a Factor in Montana's Farm Fatalities
HELENA, Mont. — Montana's farm and ranch population is aging, and older workers in agriculture are more likely to die in work-related accidents, according to statistics from Montana and surrounding states.
The good news is that the number of Montana fatalities in the category of agriculture, forestry and fishing declined to 45 in 2006, from 50 the previous year. The bad news is that agricultural operators and employees age 65 and older account for a disproportionate share of fatal occupational injuries.
An estimated 4 percent of Montana's total workforce of 505,398 was age 65 or older in 2006, yet the age group accounted for 16 percent or seven of the 45 deaths in the farm and forestry category. In 2005, 13 farm and forestry workers in the age group died of occupational injuries.
Farming, fishing and forestry comprise the most hazardous job category nationwide, says Peggy Coggeshall of the Montana Department of Labor & Industry, who compiled the Montana Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries study and also looked at reports from neighboring states. In North Dakota, 26 percent of fatal injuries last year in the farm and forest category involved individuals age 65 or older. South Dakota and Wyoming reported 19 percent and 14 percent of fatalities, respectively, were 65 or older.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health says workers age 75 and older are twice as likely to die as younger farmers from work-related accidents. Injuries to older workers also result in higher average costs and more time away from work, according to insurance company reports.
Ron de Yong, director of the Montana Department of Agriculture, said he was surprised by the age correlation in farm fatalities. Agriculture is inherently dangerous because the work involves moving equipment, uneven slopes, fuel and electrical risks, unpredictable animals and long hours during peak work periods.
"The lesson for all of us is to not push ourselves beyond our limits
and to always take time to work safely," de Yong said.
