Farms are dangerous playgrounds: study

REGINA - CBC Radio August 20, 2002

Growing up on a farm can put kids at a greater-than-average risk of being killed. At least that's the finding of a new, ten-year study.

Farm children between the ages of one and six are injured and die at a rate of 18 per 100,000 every year. Statistically, that means farm kids are 50 per cent more likely to be killed than Canadian children in general.

"We knew that the farm environment was high risk… for children, and as we've been analyzing our data, we noticed that we were seeing a lot injuries in small kids," explains Dr. Rob Brison, author of the study.

"Yes, it surprised us that [the number] was this high; that farm-related injuries would account for such a huge rate in injuries compared to what kids would generally in Canada be exposed to."

Most of the injuries among youngsters involve tractors and large machinery.