Protect Your Children on the Farm

Farm-related injuries occur while children are both at play and at work. Children perform a lot of duties on farms and are a valuable resource, but children working on farms have a high rate of injury. Proper safety training can minimize the risk of injury to your child.

To a child, a grain bin is a fascinating and adventurous place. However, many of these adventures have tragic endings. Children on their own cannot recognize farm hazards. They must be taught how to recognize farm dangers and how to avoid them.

 Discuss the Following Dangers with Children:

• Animal Behavior
• Grain Bins - The weight and force of grain can crush and kill a person.
• Silage Gas - The harmful gases released by manure and silage can be dangerous.
• Electricity - The threat is outside and in the home.
• Chemicals and Pesticides - Eaten, inhaled or even being touched is life threatening.
• Farm Equipment - Riding and playing on equipment causes many deaths in children every year.
• Encourage Children to Ask Questions - Young children are curious and learn primarily by touch and sight. Many times these two senses put a child into a dangerous situation. For example, fascination with a quickly moving PTO can result in disaster.

Farm Hazards - It's Your Responsibility

Parents and grandparents should use precautionary safety measures to prevent accidents. They can set and enforce safe limits and be good role models for children by promoting farm safety.

Ways To Keep Children Safe:

• Children should not be extra riders on equipment.
• Children should not play with idle machinery.
• Equipment that might fall, such as front-end loaders, should be left in the down position.
• When parked, self-propelled machinery should be locked and keys removed from the ignition.
• A tractor PTO should be in neutral when not in use.
• Know where children are whenever starting machinery, and especially when backing up equipment.
• Machinery should be kept in good repair, particularly protective shields, ROPS, and seat belts.
• Children should not operate machinery until they complete safety training.
• All ATV riders should wear helmets.
• Farm ponds and manure pits should be fenced.
• Fixed ladders should be out of reach, or fit with a special barrier.
• Portable ladders should be kept away from danger areas such as grain wagons and silos.
• Dangerous machinery components should be kept out of reach of small children.
• Electrical boxes should be kept locked.
• Warning decals recognizable to children should be on all grain bins, wagons, silos, barns, and trucks.
• Chemicals and pesticides should be stored in a locked area.
• All equipment used on roads should have working lights, reflectors and a slow-moving vehicle emblem.
• Set regular times for family safety instructions (for example, monthly family safety days).

 Use Curiousity to Teach Children About Farm Hazards

• Bright safety emblems can be used as flash cards to teach children farm hazards.
• Models of farm equipment can also be used to demonstrate and prevent possible accidents.