How do I keep my children safe on the farm?

Most children like to be outside helping on the farm. It is important to remember that farms are not playgrounds and children must be closely supervised and only take part in age-appropriate tasks.

Francis Bligh and John McNamara, Teagasc Health and Safety Specialists have more information

Recent weeks have been very different for children and young adults. Learning more online, completing more lessons at home and also spending more time away from friends has become the new normal.

On a more positive side, this new normal has provided children with more opportunities to spend time outside getting exercise, exploring nature and helping with farming tasks.

Most children like to be outside helping on the farm. Mending fences and walls, hanging gates, tidying the farmyard, picking an odd stone, checking animals – there is always a job to be done.

It is however important for everyone to remember that farms are not playgrounds and that when children are out on the farm they must be closely supervised and only take part in age-appropriate tasks.

Childhood fatalities

At the time of writing this Health and Safety Authority figures tell us that sadly 21 children lost their lives as a result of farm accidents in the past 10 years. 

The figures also tell us that over 80% of childhood deaths on farms had a farm vehicle or a machine involved.

We must do better and we must protect children in this emergency period. We must think about how we manage our farms and how we can safely involve children and young adults in farming activities.

Safe Play

A safe and secure play area for young children is vital where children are present. Farm dwellings and farmyards can sometimes be very close together, so a safe and secure play area is very important.

This can be difficult for farmers who only have children visiting so it is important that adults make arrangements to ensure children are supervised in these situations.

H.S.A. Guidance

HSA has issued the following guidance:

• A safe and secure play area for children should be provided away from all work activities, in full view of the dwelling house;
• Where children are not in a secure play area a high level of adult supervision must be provided;
• Children should not be allowed to access heights;
• Action should be taken to keep children away from dangerous areas;
• To eliminate the risk of drowning all open water tanks, wells and slurry tanks should be fenced off;
• Children should be given clear instruction on safety issues on the farm;
• Instruct children that are carried in the tractor cab to always wear seat belts;
• Identify and control particular dangers to children (e.g. tractor operation, slurry pits, falls);
• Keep children away from dangerous areas (slurry pits, silage pits, grain /chemical stores, working machinery, high areas);
• Children should not be allowed near dangerous animals such as bulls, stallions, rams, stags and female animals with new-born young;
• The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007 require farmers to identify what work is suitable for children and what work is not suitable;
• Young children should not be allowed unsupervised access to the farmyard;
• Discuss with visitors and agricultural contractors;
• Make contractors aware of the possible presence of children;
• Organise training for young teenagers – tractor safety driving skills;
• Do not allow children under 14 to operate tractors or self-propelled machines;
• Only allow children over 14 to drive a tractor or self-propelled vehicle in line with legal requirements;
• When children have to be carried in the cab, it must be fitted with a properly designed and fitted passenger seat with seat belts;
• A child or young person aged 14 or over should only be permitted to drive a tractor or self-propelled machine on the farm, if:
  1. They have attended a formal training course run by a competent training provider;
  2. They are closely supervised by a responsible adult;
  3. They have the ability to operate the controls with ease;
  4. All the controls are conveniently accessible for safe operation by the operator when seated in the driver’s seat;
  5. The controls which operate the power take-off (PTO) devices, hydraulic devices and engine cut-off are clearly marked to show the effect of their operation;
  6. The tractor is maintained so that it is safe for them to operate;
  7. The ground over which the tractor is driven is free from hazards such as steep slopes or excavations, riverbanks, lake or pond edges, deep ditches and similar areas.

Safety Resources for Children

When children are out on the farm it is important to discuss the many dangers that exist and explain the reasons why it is important to farm safely.

Teagasc have a wide range of interesting farm safety themed resources for children which are available on the Teagasc website. These can help children explore the world of Farm Safety in the comfort of their own homes.

Check out the following resources: 

• Staying safe on the farm with Jessy helps children learn about farm safety with Jessy the dog and her three puppies.
• Teagasc and Agrikids produce regular farm safety themed newsletters for children. These can be viewed here
• Teagasc work closely with The Health and Safety Authority to assist in the production of farm safety video content which can be accessed at child safety videos 
• The HSA have produced free online courses on the topic of safe farming that children, young adults and farmers would find very informative. For mor information, click here.

Risk assessment for children on farms

Every farmer with three or less employees must have a farm safety risk assessment document completed for their farm. One of the first sections of this document details measures that farmers should implement to help keep children safe.