Farm fatality stats updated

Alberta has released 2011 farm fatality stats. In 2011 there were 18 death, down from 22 in 2010. That said, the numbers were roughly consistent with results from the past 10 years (the average being around 18 fatalities). Of these 2011 fatalities, three were of children under age 18 and only one occurred while a child was working.

In the April newsletter of the Alberta Centre for Injury Reduction there is an interesting table that tracks the rate of Alberta farm fatalities per 100,000 farm population over time by age.


What this table shows is that the rate (not necessarily the absolute number) of fatalities among children (0-14) has increases dramatically since 1992 (green line). Some of this rate increase reflects that population of children on the farm has declined by 52%. This means (very roughly speaking) that the number of fatalities has stayed about constant but it occurs among a much smaller pool of children.

-- Bob Barnetson