Open Farms Child Safety in Agriculture A N Other HM Inspector of Health and Safety

The Sad Facts On average, 2 children die on farms each year

What happens? Nearly half of the accidents involve children being run over or struck by moving vehicles.

What happens? The second most common cause of death is drowning in slurry/dirty water lagoons and in moving grain.

What do you need to do? Planning the visit - which areas of the farm will the visitors definitely want to see? -are there other areas of the farm that they might wish to see during their visit? - make sure children will be effectively excluded from hazardous areas that they will not be visiting on the farm (normally this will be achieved by fencing, warning signs, and supervision)

What do you need to do? Planning the visit (continued) - identify the hazards that exist in the areas that the children will be visiting - put appropriate precautions in place to prevent accidents and ill health. What might this mean in practice?....

Virtual farm inspection HSE inspector Charlie Callis takes us on a farm inspection

Virtual farm inspection (Vehicles) Segregate your visitors from tractors and other farm vehicles Inform employees of the visit, and of the arrangements for segregation Co-ordinate deliveries, contractors etc so that they don’t conflict with the visit

Virtual farm inspection (vehicles) Leaving cab doors unlocked and keys in the ignition is a recipe for disaster. Lock cab doors and remove keys from those vehicles without cabs.

Virtual farm inspection (falling objects) Make unstable items safe by securing them or laying them flat This heavy item has been tied to a rail at the top.

Virtual farm inspection (falling objects) Make sure bale stacks are built and dismantled so that they remain stable

Virtual farm inspection (falling objects) Stack wheels and tyres safely. Here they have been laid down on a pallet. If you lean them against a wall – make sure they are secured with rope or chain.

Virtual farm inspection (falling objects) Make sure that items such as buckets are stored securely when not in use, to avoid them toppling over.

Virtual farm inspection ( other storage) Storage areas may seem as fascinating as an adventure play park to children. Keep yards tidy and stored items stable so they cannot topple over onto a child.

Virtual farm inspection (falls from height) Ladders should be stored securely: –lie them down on the ground or; –secure a board over the bottom rungs. Remember to look at your fixed ladders in the same way.

Virtual farm inspection (falls from height) Think about other areas where children can fall. This loading ramp is almost 5 feet high at the end. Consider guard rails or other methods to prevent access to the open edge

Virtual farm inspection (falls from height) Prevent access to fragile roofs

Virtual farm inspection (slurry storage) Slurry stores must be secured against child access This slurry pit gate has been covered with mesh to prevent a child climbing up it. Remember to make sure the mesh is of a small enough size to prevent a young child gaining a foothold.

Virtual farm inspection (grain storage and handling) Moving grain in reception pits has caused many child fatalities. Here a mesh guard has been fitted over the pit to allow the grain to flow through but prevent anyone been drawn down to the auger.

Virtual farm inspection Keep sheep dips covered when they are not in use. Children have drowned in dips that have filled with rain water.

Virtual farm inspection (livestock) Take effective steps to exclude children from pens of large animals This gate is fully panelled and offers no hand or foot hold to allow access into the pen

Virtual farm inspection (livestock) Remember feed troughs can present easy access Here the troughs have been raised and covered with lids to prevent access

Virtual farm inspection (Chemicals, pesticides and vet. Medicines) Keep chemicals etc in locked stores Dispose of use containers, needles etc safely

E.coli 0157 Use the Industry Code of Practice to prevent or control ill health through animal contact.

Virtual farm inspection (fire) Take steps to prevent fire (segregate combustibles, prohibit smoking near to them, etc) Plan what should be done in the event of a fire. Inform staff and visitors

Virtual farm inspection (carrying passengers on farm trailers) If you are going to carry passengers around the farm read HSE’s Agriculture Information Sheet No. 36. You may well need to convert a trailer to passenger use permanently.

What do you need to do? Planning the visit - supervision - confirm what arrangements the school has for supervision of the children during their visit. -Make arrangements for the party to be met by a responsible person at a specified time and place

First Aid Appropriate first aid equipment and suitably qualified people must be provided to enable first aid to be given to employees if they are injured at work It is recommended that you also consider the needs of visitors You should check your public liability insurance policy on this point

First Aid Further free guidance on first aid is available: –“First aid at work – your questions answered” – INDG 21a

Getting the message across

Further information – AIS 23