[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 184 (Wednesday, September 23, 1998)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 50743-50744]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-25617]


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                         Presidential Documents 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 184 / Wednesday, September 23, 1998 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 50743]]

                Proclamation 7126 of September 18, 1998

                
National Farm Safety And Health Week, 1998

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                America's agricultural industry plays an important role 
                in our Nation's economy. It provides us with an ample 
                supply of high-quality food and fiber and a rewarding 
                form of employment for millions of Americans. However, 
                farming and ranching remain among our Nation's most 
                dangerous occupations, demanding an understanding of 
                complex agricultural equipment, strict attention to 
                detail, and careful performance of farm and ranch work.

                Among the most hazardous duties on farms and ranches is 
                the operation of farm tractors and machinery. This work 
                is even more dangerous with extra riders, and all farm 
                equipment operators should avoid carrying people on 
                their machinery who are not necessary to their work. 
                Using tractors and machinery can be especially 
                dangerous during planting and harvesting seasons, when 
                farmers and ranchers must use public highways to gain 
                access to production fields or to bring the harvested 
                crop to market. During these times, all vehicle and 
                equipment operators must exercise special caution on 
                our roadways.

                After school, during the summer, and other times of the 
                year when children have more unsupervised time, can be 
                very hazardous to our next generation of farmers and 
                ranchers. Since many agricultural operations are 
                family-oriented, this work can bring younger family 
                members into contact with the mechanical, chemical, and 
                environmental hazards their more knowledgeable parents 
                and older siblings face daily with appropriate caution. 
                Adults should strive to set good examples for younger, 
                inexperienced workers and always carefully monitor 
                children's activities.

                Because of the environment they work in, agricultural 
                workers also face serious health concerns. Noisy 
                equipment and inadequate hearing protection frequently 
                cause permanent hearing loss among farm and ranch 
                employees, and skin cancer rates among agricultural 
                workers are exceedingly high, due to long exposure to 
                the sun and chemicals. In every farm environment, 
                workers need to use protective gear to avoid health and 
                safety hazards. This is not only for their personal 
                benefit--it also sends the right message to the young 
                people who are the future agricultural workers of our 
                Nation.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, 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 September 20 through 
                September 26, 1998, as National Farm Safety and Health 
                Week. I call upon government agencies, businesses, and 
                professional associations that serve our agricultural 
                sector to strengthen their efforts to promote safety 
                and health programs among our Nation's farm and ranch 
                workers. I ask agricultural workers to take advantage 
                of the many diverse education and training programs and 
                technical advancements that can help them avoid injury 
                and illness. I also call upon our Nation to recognize 
                Wednesday, September 23, 1998, as a day to focus on the 
                risks facing young people on farms and ranches. 
                Finally, I call upon the citizens of our Nation to 
                reflect on the bounty we enjoy thanks to the labor and 
                dedication of agricultural workers across our land.

[[Page 50744]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                eighteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord 
                nineteen hundred and ninety-eight, and of the 
                Independence of the United States of America the two 
                hundred and twenty-third.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 98-25617
Filed 9-22-98; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P