The many potential dangers for children on farms

Farms are a dangerous environment for children, and the dangers will increase as the year progresses.

Farmyards should be a no-go area for children, unless they are accompanied by an adult in a safe manner.

Most farm accidents involving children are avoidable through proper supervision.

The risk to children’s safety is greatly increased when silage harvesting, reseeding, spraying and crop harvesting machinery operations coincide with the summer holidays.

During school holidays, children in rural areas are more likely to be present on farms, or on the farms of relatives, and thus face a number of potential dangers.

Children are naturally curious and inquisitive.

They like to examine and play around tractors and farm machinery that is new to them.

Farms are full of heavy machinery (tractors, slurry tankers, etc), and ensuring that children are supervised by parents and are kept out of harm’s way is crucial.

Providing a secure, safe play area where young children can play and be seen at all times is hugely important.

A farmyard can seem like a playground to a child’s eyes, but it is a highly dangerous playground.

Tractors and machinery are one of the leading causes of accidents on farms, and parents need to make sure children are kept safe from this hazard, and the many others that exist.

The spring-summer period is a particularly dangerous time on farms, and adults need to be constantly vigilant and make sure children are supervised, while making children aware of any danger or risk present.

Parents’ attitude towards farm safety has a huge bearing on a child’s perception of any danger or risk.

Warning children of dangers in a positive way, while controlling children’s exposure to the dangers, is the best approach.

A parent’s supervision is necessary to secure childhood safety, while letting children do tasks appropriate for their age and capacity is a positive part of growing-up.

The key is for the parent to limit a child’s exposure to the danger while highlighting the danger to the child.

Tractors and machinery

Supervision is vital when machinery or contractors are working on a farm.

Keep children in sight at all times.

Never allow a child to approach a working machine alone.

If machinery is stopped and parked, limit children’s access by removing keys and locking doors.

Ensure all hydraulic lifts are set at the down position.

Machinery operators need to stay alert for the presence of children.

The Childhood Code of Practice for agriculture does not permit children aged seven years or under to ride in the cab of a tractor.

Children over seven years should only be allowed ride in cabs where a passenger seat and seatbelt are used.

Never let any child or person ride on the drawbar of your tractor, or any other machinery.

Ensure that no children are left in the cab if you dismount to adjust the PTO, drawbar or lift.

Water and slurry

Fencing off any farm ponds, open slurry tanks and open water tanks to prevent access by children is a must.

Ensure agitation points are covered and safety grills are on slurry tanks and closed at all times.

Ensure that it is a windy day when agitating slurry, this is indicated by using a flag, which should be blowing strongly.

Children should never be in the farmyard when slurry is being agitated.

Livestock

Young children should be accompanied by an adult if approaching any livestock, especially if there are bulls, rams, or cows with calves at foot on farms.

No children should be involved with livestock during or after giving birth, when cows or ewes may become aggressive to defend their young.

Heights

Restrict children’s access to dangerous heights, lofts, high loads, and over-ground slurry stores on farms.