[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 183 (Wednesday, September 22, 1999)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 51415-51416]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-24888]
[[Page 51413]]
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Part IV
The President
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Proclamation 7224--National Farm Safety and Health Week, 1999
Proclamation 7225--National Historically Black Colleges and Universites
Week, 1999
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 64, No. 183 / Wednesday, September 22, 1999 /
Presidential Documents
___________________________________________________________________
Title 3--
The President
[[Page 51415]]
Proclamation 7224 of September 17, 1999
National Farm Safety and Health Week, 1999
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
President Franklin Roosevelt once called America's
farmers and ranchers ``the source from which the
reservoirs of our nation's strength are constantly
renewed.'' It was during his Administration, in the
critical years of World War II, that Americans began to
realize that thousands of agricultural workers and
their families suffered disabling and fatal injuries
each year in their work of producing food for our
Nation and the world. The tragic statistics were so
troubling that President Roosevelt, with the
encouragement of his Secretary of Agriculture and the
President of the National Safety Council, signed the
initial proclamation for National Farm Safety Week in
1944.
We have achieved substantial progress in the decades
since that first proclamation. Farm equipment
manufacturers have engineered safety features into
their machinery that have decreased the likelihood of
severe injuries among operators. Chemical manufacturers
have reformulated pest control products to reduce the
potential for poisoning incidents. Personal protective
equipment is now available to protect farm and ranch
workers. And safety and health professionals have made
great strides in the development and implementation of
educational initiatives that raise awareness among
agricultural workers of measures and equipment they can
use to reduce on-the-job injuries and health risks.
But we cannot afford to become complacent. Children
continue to be the most vulnerable members of farming
and ranching families. Those who work with livestock
and around farm machinery should be carefully
supervised and should be assigned chores that are
commensurate with their level of awareness, knowledge,
and ability to perform the job safely. Older Americans
working in agriculture also are at risk; farmers and
ranchers often work well past retirement age in a
determined effort to maintain the farming heritage of
their families and to continue contributing to the
vocation they love. Many of these older men and women
have suffered work-related hearing impairment over the
years, and many also have limited mobility due to
previous injuries or arthritis. Their families and
coworkers should be vigilant in overseeing the
activities of these older workers to help ensure their
safety as they carry out their daily responsibilities.
America's farmers and ranchers are the backbone of our
economy and the lifeblood of our land, and their skill,
effort, and determination provide food and fiber for
our country and the world. Our farming and ranching
families stand for the values that have kept America
strong for more than 220 years--hard work, faith and
family, perseverance and patience. We all have a vital
interest in their success, and we can all play an
important role in ensuring their continued well-being.
As we observe this year's theme of ``Protecting
Agriculture in the Next Century,'' I urge all Americans
to show their appreciation for the dedication and
sacrifices of our Nation's farmers and ranchers by
renewing our efforts to protect their safety and
health. Together, we can ensure that the time-honored
traditions of American farming and ranching will
flourish in the new century.
[[Page 51416]]
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 19 through
September 25, 1999, 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 22, 1999, 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.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
seventeenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
nineteen hundred and ninety-nine, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two
hundred and twenty-fourth.
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 99-24888
Filed 9-21-99; 9:16 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P
