Teens Working in Agriculture

An ESL Curriculum for High School Students

2010

Interview QuestionsHandout #2

1. Have you ever worked in agriculture?2. Do you know anyone else who has worked in

agriculture? Who?3. What crops did you (or the person you know)

work with?4. What kind of farm work did you do?5. Have you ever gotten hurt or sick from

working in agriculture? What happened?6. Do you know anyone else who has gotten

hurt or sick from working in agriculture?7. What dangers do you think there are in farm

work?

Rogelio – Farmworker, age 16

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Where Do Teens Work?• Most teen jobs are part-

time, temporary, and low-paying.

• Many teens work in places where there are many injuries like farms, grocery stores, and restaurants.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, 2007 microdata files analyzed by NIOSH. 2008.

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This chart shows where U.S. teens work:

Thousands of Teens are Injured in Farm Jobs

• 4,700 teens were hurt on farm jobs in the United States in 2006

• Teens often get cuts, bruises, and broken bones while working in farm jobs.

• Between 1992-2002, there were 276 deaths among youth ages 11-19 who worked in agriculture.

• More teen farmworkers die on the job than teens doing other kinds of work.

• Most deaths were caused by:– Driving or helping to drive vehicles

– Getting caught in running machinery

– Working with tractors

Sources: 2006 Childhood Agricultural Injury Survey and Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries.

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What are the Dangers in Farm Work?

• On farms, teens get hurt and sick from:– Cars, trucks, and vans– Tractors– Machines– Ladders– Pesticides– Dirty Bathrooms– Sun– Heavy Lifting– Repetitive movements

• The law says that teens under 16 cannot do some dangerous farm jobs like driving a tractor, climbing a tall ladder, or working with pesticides.

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Hazard Map - A

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Hazard Map - B

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TV Game Show

Workers’ Rights

Job HazardsTeens and

the LawTaking Action

$100 $100 $100 $100

$200 $200 $200 $200

$300 $300 $300 $300

$400 $400 $400 $400

$500 $500 $500 $500

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