Is Your Farm Safe For Children?

By its nature farming is an extremely hazardous occupation, with machinery and vehicles that if not used properly and safely maintained can be seriously dangerous. As a farm owner it is your duty to ensure that you have taken the necessary safety precautions to make your farm a safe place for children to be.

If you have young children, the first step you should take is to make them fully aware of the dangerous areas on the farm. Alongside this you should put forward strict ground rules about where on the farm they are allowed to go and what they can and cannot do on the farm. By making a secure and fun area for children to play in, away from any animals or machinery, you can be confident that they will be safe when playing.

The most dangerous aspect of your farm for a child is undoubtedly machinery. Again it pays to first properly educate your children as to the dangers of machinery if it used in the wrong way or by someone who is not properly trained. With some types of machinery, such as fork lift trucks, if someone is injured or property damaged by a driver who is not properly certified to be operating the machine then you will not be able to claim on your farm insurance, so do not allow your child to operate machinery unless they have been properly trained and are of sufficient age.

The types of machinery that will be both most alluring and also potentially most dangerous to a child are all terrain vehicles such as a quad bike and motocross bikes, the two most popular forms of transport around most farms. Make sure that your child or any other children who might be using an ATV has been properly trained, are wearing safety equipment and most importantly a helmet. Even though the children will be on private property and therefore not liable to licensing rules in the same way as if they were on the road, it is this relaxed attitude that can often be the catalyst to a serious injury involving an ATV and a child who is inexperienced in its usage.

When it comes to your children and livestock, you must be vigilant to ensure that they do not play around the areas where livestock is housed. If they are to be coming into contact with livestock, then make sure it is only under strict supervision. It is also important to make sure that all fences and animal pens are not broken, weakened or left open, as a small child could easily be trampled by larger farm animals. Finally, make sure that any slurry pits or similar vats are properly covered and secured so that children cannot fall into them.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/6304688

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