KAN staff report

Rodger Bingham of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture will speak during the general session of the inaugural Kentucky Conference on Construction Safety Jan. 9 at Crowne Plaza Lexington-The Campbell House.

Bingham will talk about farm safety and all-terrain vehicle safety. He is deputy executive director of the KDA’s Office of Agriculture Marketing and Product Promotion. He appeared in 2001 on the CBS-TV series “Survivor,” where he was dubbed “Kentucky Joe.”

Kentucky led the nation in ATV deaths with 106 from 2002-2004. Kentucky farm deaths have fallen by half, from 50 in 1995 to between 24 and 26 a year from 2001 to 2004.

The KDA’s Farm and Home Safety Program has developed courses for teaching safe use of ATVs as well as lawn mowers. The program also teaches safety while working on the farm and using farm equipment.

Governor Ernie Fletcher; Teresa Hill, secretary of the Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet; state Labor Commissioner Philip J. Anderson, and Donna Haynes, president of the Kentucky Safety and Health Network Inc., also are scheduled to speak.

The Conference on Construction Safety will provide the latest safety and health information and ideas from industry leaders to help employers and employees eliminate workplace injury and illness. For more information on the conference, go to www.labor.ky.gov.