[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 32, Number 37 (Monday, September 16, 1996)]
[Pages 1743-1744]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 6916--National Farm Safety and Health Week, 1996

September 13, 1996

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    Farming is an occupation, both personally rewarding and vitally 
important, keeping grocery store shelves stocked with affordable and 
healthful food products for consumers. American farmers, ranchers, and 
their families are dedicated to producing crops and livestock that not 
only feed the American people, but also have become increasingly 
important to the global economy.
    The 2.1 million farms in the United States are predominately 
operated by farm and ranch families, who work long, grueling hours, 
exposed to hazards ranging from complicated machinery, to farm 
chemicals, unpredictable livestock, and variable weather. They also face 
danger from potentially toxic dusts and gases found in and around farm 
silos, manure storage facilities, and livestock confinement buildings. 
Workers must be constantly on guard as they face these hazardous by-
products of agricultural work.
    Education and training programs, including ``hands-on'' intensive 
activities, have created an awareness among farmers and ranchers that 
personal safety equipment is a good investment for preventing injuries 
and illnesses related to their work.
    Linked to these safety initiatives are programs that bring about a 
higher level of personal health awareness. This helps to reduce the 
levels of noise-induced hearing loss, sun exposure-related skin cancer, 
and the occupational respiratory ailments prevalent among agricultural 
workers in the United States.
    On America's farms, young people are routinely exposed to some of 
the same risks as adults. Their level of maturity, training, and 
experience should be considered when assigning chores on the farm. Since 
many children live on farms, safe play areas should be designated to 
minimize their exposure to danger.
    In setting aside this special week each year to focus on the safety 
and health of farmers, ranchers, and their families, we demonstrate to 
our Nation's citizens the importance of a strong agricultural industry 
as we approach the 21st century.
    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 
15 through September 21, 1996, as National Farm Safety and Health Week. 
I call upon government agencies, businesses, and professional 
associations that serve our agricultural sector to strengthen efforts to 
promote safety and health measures among our Nation's farm and ranch 
workers. I also call upon our Nation to recognize Wednesday, September 
18, 1996, as a day set aside during the week to pay special attention to 
the risks and hazards facing young people on farms and ranches. I would 
ask agricultural workers to take advantage of educational programs and 
technical advances that can help them avoid injury and illness. Finally, 
I call upon the citizens of our Nation to reflect upon the bounty we 
enjoy thanks to the labor of agricultural workers across our land. Join 
me in renewing our commitment to making their health and safety a 
national priority.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this thirteenth day 
of September, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-six, 
and of the Independence of

[[Page 1744]]

the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-first.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., September 16, 
1996]

Note: This proclamation will be published in the Federal Register on 
September 17.