Teach Farm Safety in Primary and up School

[TOM4CWB]

My brother and I were discussing the lack of understanding of risks on farms... My Lucy and I did Ag in the Classroom... and farm safety was not a preferred subject... or important part of the education process.

If Safety was taught... as part of the package with strangers and small people risks... in both Urban and Rural young peoples school subjects... the safety culture could be improved... and common sense learned the way it should be! We could do much to reduce accidents involving young people... if teaching a safety culture was mandatory and
became a priority...

Too late when an OHS/WCB after the accident solution adds insult to injury!.

[farmaholic]

Tom, noble thought but in Urban schools it wouldn't gain much traction. Rural schools not a bad idea but rural kids in some urban/rural schools would easily be outnumbered. You bring up a very important issue regarding quads/sleds/boating/horseback riding or any leisure actitity. Life is full of risk, it is up to us to personally mitigate it. You can't legislate common sense and intelligence!!!

[wmoebis]

I agree Farma, Urban kids are not the least bit interested in farm safety. Farm kids would be better trained on street safety. More farm kids end up in cities than city kids on farms.

I also did AG in the class and AG in the city, you wouldn't believe how many city kids have never even been outside city limits never mind around farms.

I think farm safety training needs to start with farm adults. If you put on a 2 week farm safety program during the summer when farm equipment could be on display and examples shown, I wonder how many farm adults would even bother to make their kids attend?

Look at the internet and see sprayers running into high power lines, rolling combines down embankments, grain cart accidents, mostly caused from unsafe farming operations and distracted driving. Even pictures of kids playing in semi's while they are being filled showed up on the net and that was after accidents happened. Watch farm semi's driving down road or equipment working in fields most the drivers have cell phones in their ear or are texting. Look at a lot of farm equipment in farmers yards or used on lots most have some or all safety shields removed. These are place where OH&S could give advise when farmers and adults don't see the hazards. Anyone with rural EMS will tell you that safety is a concern. Most rural EMS will regularly or eventually attend a scene that involves friends or family.

I'm not judging others I am just as bad as anyone, just don't think AG safety training needs to be in the schools, teaching kids then they go home and have adults doing just the opposite. Which ones are they going to mimic?

[tweety]

Study here in Sk did have a look at this. Apparently did not help at all.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18836044

[WiltonRanch]

Coming from a farm that has some extreme terrain rollovers and runaways are a daily concern. I am safe to say in the 110 years our family has been farming this ground there hasn't been an accident that has caused an injury or wrecked much. We've done it all our lives and know how far we can go before it is unsafe. That being said if we have someone around not familiar we try and bestow our knowledge and safety tips ad-nauseum. I was lucky my grandpa was a nagging safety lecturer and dad come by it easily too and I'm finding myself that way with my kids too. You can't be too cautious. You never forget a close call and I try to remember it so I don't have it happen again.

[blackpowder]

Actually Tom for what its worth.
My daughter is in grd 1 in Buffalo Trail SD and one weekend this fal she was repeating some farm safety stuff from class. ???

[blackpowder]

Further to that thought. Shes in a wainwright so 2/3 or more urban with basr etc.
Good idea to present this stuff to all kids. Regarding any equipment, lawn mower, or vehicle.

[WiltonRanch]

The exhibition in lloydminster is host to an ag safety day each year. They bring in scads of local schools for safety presentations. It's a good deal and same thing lots of non farm kids but many in the oil patch so the stuff is the same common sense like don't grab moving ptos or PC pumps.