For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 14, 2002
National Farm Safety and Health Week, 2002
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
American farm and ranch families embody our Nation's values of hard
work, love of the land, and love of country. Farming not only feeds
our country but increasingly provides more of our Nation's energy
needs. The success of America's farmers and ranchers is essential to
our economy, and helping to ensure their safety is an important goal
for our country.
Because their homes also serve as their workplace, our country's
farm families are often exposed to unique hazards. These include
powerful machinery, dangerous chemicals, unruly livestock, and
buildings containing high dust and gas levels. To ensure safety, young
family members helping with farm work must be trained to recognize
these dangers; and we must also safeguard older farm workers whose
health risks may increase due to aging and previous injuries.
Professionals in the engineering safety and rural health fields
have made significant progress in preventing accidents in agricultural
settings. To protect machinery operators, industry has made great
strides to incorporate safeguards to prevent rollovers, entanglements,
and other accidents. Personal protective gear, new and safer
packaging, and advances in respiratory protection and hearing
conservation help protect agricultural workers from contact with
hazardous products, excessive dust, gas, and unduly loud noise in the
work environment.
To ensure our farmers' continued health, we must increase public
awareness of available safety precautions. Simple, economical tools
and procedures can help prevent accidents on farms. With proper
installation and care, lighting and marking devices reduce the risk of
highway collisions between farm equipment and vehicles. By clearly
labeling farm chemicals and storing them in locked containers, we can
help avoid poisonings and injuries.
America's farmers make invaluable contributions to our country, and
my Administration is committed to preserving the farm way of life for
future generations. In May, I was pleased to sign the Farm Security
and Rural Investment Act of 2002. This generous new law will
strengthen American agriculture and support our farmers through
difficult times, without encouraging overproduction and depressing
prices. I also intend to aggressively use my trade promotion
authority to open markets to American farmers. By promoting farm
safety, we strengthen our farm economy and help our Nation's farmers
continue to be the best, most productive farmers in the world.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States
of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution
and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim the week of September
15 through September 21, 2002, as National Farm Safety and Health
Week. I call upon the agencies, organizations, and businesses that
serve America's agricultural workers to strengthen their commitment to
promoting farm safety and health programs. I also encourage American
citizens to recognize the importance of our agricultural heritage and
the valuable contributions America's farmers, ranchers, and farm
workers make to our Nation's economy and vitality.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirteenth day
of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand two, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
twenty-seventh.
GEORGE W. BUSH
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