BEING school holiday season, the National Centre for Farmer Health (NCFH) has released a timely set of activity sheets for children to remind them about safety on the family farm.

A NCFH publicity release with the downloads stated they “believe that it’s important to promote safety in rural communities, and that starts with educating children about potential dangers” and wanted to find a way to encourage younger children “to have fun while learning how to stay safe on the farm”.

The activity sheets cover different topics like animal safety, equipment safety, and general farm safety.

NCFH research assistant, Jessie Adams, said they had been looking to expand the audience for the message of farm safety.

“We are looking for new ways to talk about child safety on farms - so it made sense to connect with and empower the kids themselves,” she said.

Recently, Ms Adams had also written an article for NCFH about preparing for the Easter break, reminiscing about how her own childhood farm experiences had been overlaid with boundaries.

“I realise now there were many safety measures my parents had in place to keep me safe that I did not necessarily realise at the time; a fenced farmhouse, the chemical shed being out of bounds, my sister and I never being allowed to swim in the dams and having to carry walkie talkies at all times when horse riding,” she wrote.

“I was unaware that I was living in one of Australia’s most dangerous industries as it was all I had ever known.

“This is the reality for many Australian farming families - we know children will always be engaged with the farm worksite, it is part of the tradition and lifestyle, however, we need to make sure this is happening in the safest way possible.”

In Australia, children under 15 years represent approximately 15 per cent of all farm-related fatalities (222 deaths between 2001 and 2019) - this statistic has remained consistent over a long period of time.

More recently, between 2020 and 2021, 441 children in Victoria were hospitalised due to farm-related injuries, representing a 12 per cent increase on the previous year (equivalent to 8 a week).

Water bodies, quad bikes, tractors, utes and cars, motorbikes and horses are the key hazards responsible for these injuries.

Ms Adams said she recognised school holidays carried greater potential for risk, but could also be seen as a great educational opportunity.

“As children spend more time on the farm during the school holidays it is important to consider the following,” she said.

“Role-modelling - children are always watching so it is crucial adults role-model correct behaviours, use of safety measures and wear appropriate personal protective equipment. It is hard to teach and enforce safe behaviours if you are not practising what you preach.

“Developmentally appropriate activities - it is important children are engaging in tasks that are both mentally and physically developmentally appropriate (this varies from child to child).

“Safe play areas - safe play areas are important for young children (typically under 5 years) as it prevents them from entering into dangerous environments. Ensure fences are at least 1.2 metres high and provide interesting items in them to keep children safe (e.g. toys).

“Supervision - supervision of children on farms is vital. The type of supervision may change depending on a child’s development and activity they are engaged in. Constant active supervision (within sight, sound and reach) is recommended for young children. 

“Training - suitable training, clear explanation of tasks and emphasising potential hazards.

“Child visitors - child farm visitors represented one third of child farm deaths between 2001 and 2019. They are a vulnerable population because they may have no understanding of the risks and hazards present on farms.”

Ms Adams said she was pleased with the activity sheets and said they were looking to expand the age range of educational tools NCFH offer to other young age groups.

“We are always looking to develop new and exciting things to engage our different audiences, so (there will potentially be) some additional education tools to come,” she said.

“We already offer Gear-Up for Ag to secondary school students which promoted health, wellbeing and safety on the farm. It builds students’ knowledge on farm hazards and highlights the importance of safe farm practices.”

The link for this program can be found at farmerhealth.org.au/gear-up-for-ag-health-safety

The childrens’ activity sheets can be downloaded from farmerhealth.org.au/kids-farm-safety-activity-sheets to print out and complete. NCFH said they would love to see how well children do with the results by tagging them in progress pictures or sending them through to the contact details on the website page.