BARRHEAD – Heartland Training and Support Hub was at Dunstable School on May 27 sharing important farm safety information with students.
“The farm could be a really fun place, but it can also be really dangerous,” said Reanne Dennison, Safety Smart Instructor.
“Today is to remind the kids and teach them some simple tips to stay safe, prevent accidents and to keep it fresh in everyone's mind how important farm safety is.”
The first rule on the farm is ‘One seat one rider’.
For example, if there is one seat on an ATV or a tractor then there can only be one rider - tractor buckets and sidesteps don't count.
Children can easily fall off and hurt themselves if there is no additional seat for them to sit in, Dennison said.
Proper safety gear like helmets is especially important according to Dennison. She talked about using seatbelts to keep buckled into vehicles like ATVs and tractors.
Other safety rules discussed included talking about getting close to farm animals.
The corral is the animal’s space and students should stay outside of the corral, Dennison said. Larger animals and animals with babies can be dangerous on the farm so people need to be careful.
Students should talk to their parents before approaching larger animals.
Farm equipment should have rollover protection for safety.
Dennison point out that farm equipment operators do not have a clear line of sight and cannot see children who might be too close to machinery, so children should not play close to farm equipment.
Sometimes equipment can be running and be dangerous. If farm equipment is moving students were told to stay still and wait until the operator shuts down the equipment and comes over, Dennison said.
Approaching moving farm equipment is another safety hazard, she added. Grain in a wagon or in a grain bin can be dangerous too because it acts like quicksand and can pull you under.
Barns can have a storage of chemicals that can be dangerous especially if they get spilled and not cleaned up right away. Special hazard clothing and coverage is needed to handle these dangerous chemicals.
Students should stay away from chemicals on the farm.
Riding in the back of a farm truck can be dangerous, and people should ride inside the truck with their seatbelts on, she added.
