Hospitalised farm injury among children and young people, Australia 2000-01

Over the five-year period 2000–01 to 2004–05, a total of at least 3,926 children and young people were hospitalised as the result of injuries sustained on farms. This briefing focuses on these cases. Life on a farm can present a range of hazards for children and young people: unfenced dams, ponds and rivers present a drowning risk, particularly for young children; children and young people can be seriously hurt through a fall from a horse or contact with a large farm animal; the range of vehicles in use on farms can also present dangers -- off-road motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and agricultural vehicles such as tractors. Even standard motor vehicles can pose greater risks to their occupants when used on unsealed and poorly maintained roads. In reporting the injury experience of 0–19 year olds, cases of hospitalised injury for this age band have been divided into four sub-groups in order to describe the injury experience at different developmental stages