Lumped in by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics with high-risk industries like forestry, hunting and fishing, agriculture takes a bad rap.

According to 2012 information published on the Labor Bureau’s website, www.bls.gov, that sector had the highest fatal work-injury rate in the nation; and it ranked third for the number of fatal occupational injuries by industry sector in 2010, after construction (No. 1) and transportation and warehousing (No. 2) industries.

Federal youth-labor regulations proposed for the ag industry late last year were intended to address those statistics by minimizing the risks to youths under the age of 16 working on family farms and larger ag operations.

While far too many youths sustain injuries and deaths on farm and ranches in the United States, the August 2011 proposal by the Labor Department, which addressed recommendations by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and sought to “bring parity between the rules for young workers employed in agricultural jobs and the more stringent rules that apply to those employed in nonagricultural workplaces,” was draconian in its scope; and it could have had a devastating impact on small family operations in the Mohawk Valley.

Like many professionals in the local ag industry with whom we spoke for articles dealing with the issue this week, we’re glad the proposed federal regulations were withdrawn.

That doesn’t mean that some shouldn’t be looked at again, though.

We think the proposed rule prohibiting youths from using electronic devices, including communication devices, while operating power-driven equipment was a good one.

Other restrictions, for example, those addressing youths from operating certain types of machinery and working in pesticide handling, manure pits and grain storage bins, for example, seemed sound — provided that they allowed exceptions for youths properly trained to perform those activities.

Education is the key, and current labor regulations already address many of those issues.

As Bonnie Peck, resource educator for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Fulton and Montgomery Counties, and retired St. Johnsville Central School ag teacher and FFA advisor Michael Settle noted, there should be better enforcement of the existing rules. We agree.

Thanks to programs like those developed by the New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health in Cooperstown, Future Farmers of America, and agencies affiliated with Cornell Cooperative Extension, agricultural producers have taken great strides in recent years in promoting the health and safety of farmers, their families and workers.

More can be done, however.

We think the children of farmers and ranchers should be among those receiving training from certified instructors. While it’s strongly recommended that all youths on farms complete tractor and machinery training programs, children under the age of 16 who work for their parents or individuals representing them on their parents’ farms currently are exempted from the training.

Even one accident or injury to a youthful farm worker is one too many.