“Farms are not playgrounds,” – is the key message the Farm Safety Partnership is driving home to the farming community on day two of Farm Safety Week.
It has appealed to farm families to keep children safe on farms, particularly during the summer months.
In a statement, Camilla Mackey, head of HSENI’s Agri-Food Team, said:
“The Farm Safety Partnership is asking all farm families to make child farm safety a priority, particularly at this busy time with longer evenings and schools closed for the summer holidays.”
“It is critical that our children are educated about farm safety so that they are aware of the potential dangers and learn how to avoid them.”
“You must supervise your children if they are on the farm. The younger they are, the more vulnerable they can be, and they simply do not understand the risk.
“All too often, children have access to the entire farm and view it as one big play space.”
“This is hugely concerning. Children must be protected from the risks on the farm. They are workplaces, not playgrounds,” Mackey added.
Protect children on farms
Children, the bodies say, are naturally curious, particularly on working farms.
They can be “tempting” places for them to play, and often, children do not understand the dangers a farm can present.
That is why, it says, parents must think about the preventative measures they can implement to help protect children from the risks they face on farms.
These measures, the spokesperson highlighted, include:
- Keeping children away from all mixing operations;
- Providing young children with a securely fenced-off play area;
- Preventing children under 13 from riding on agricultural vehicles as passengers, ensuring the farm quad is not driven by anyone under the age of 16. Those 16 or over must be trained and wear head protection;
Securing any old equipment or gates to prevent them from toppling over. - Ensuring you have slurry stores securely fenced.
Other farming news articles on That’s Farming:
‘We do not consider that a farm accident could take place on our farm’
