Let’s Strive to Keep Children SAFE on the farm and with “A Legacy to be Proud of!”
The International Society for Agricultural Safety and Health (ISASH) devotes Wednesday of Farm Safety and Health week to keeping children on farms, ranches and in rural areas safe and healthy. Let’s leave our children with “A Legacy to be Proud of!”
Sadly, the statistics are devastating! On average, every day 3 childrren die and 33 children are injured due to agricultural-related incidents. Protecting our future generation needs to be a top priority! Following these 3 tips can help protect our future generation of farmers.
1. The use of personal protective equipment (PPE) can help prevent health issues in adulthood.
- Skin cancer is often linked to severe sunburns and sun exposure during childhood. Provide children with sunscreen and wide brim hats when in the sun.
- Encourage use of hearing protection to help prevent hearing loss due to exposure to loud noises often found on the farm
2. Children visiting the farm need protection too.
- Non-farm families visiting the farmstead may not understand safe practices regarding animals, chemicals and equipment. Establish and enforce rules for all visitors to ensure safety and avoid farm-related incidents.
- Supervision is important for all children, but especially for those unfamiliar with farming.
- Make the play area more fun than the farmstead.
3. Safety first means safety always and for everyone.
- Teach children what to do in the event of a fire, severe weather and other emergency situations. Instruct them on dialing 911 and knowing the physical address of the farm.
- Role model safe behavior and do not allow extra riders on tractors and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs). Never allow children to play in grain bins or any other storage structure or vehicle.
- Teach children how to properly use farm equipment before assigning them to any farm task and supervise them especially close when they are new to a task.
Wednesday, September 21, 2016 is Farm Safety & Heath Week’s Children and Youth Day. See NECAS for more information.
Think about the safety and health of your children every week of the year!