For so many children who are raised on a family farm, the perception of a farmyard maybe isn’t what it should be. From a young age, it is seen as more of a playground than a potentially dangerous business enterprise. It is seen as somewhere to play football, hide and seek or cops and robbers.
Growing up on a farm, this was my perception. Kick a football and run around. There was almost a dismissive nature in the way we talked about farm safety back then. We approached it differently. I unfortunately belonged to the era where some PTO shafts were not covered and children sat on the back of the turf trailer about 10 feet in the air.
I even remember a neighbour having an open slurry tank with no fencing or any notice to the general public that it was so. You would feel uneasy just thinking about it.
Farmers back then belonged to the old stock. They had an “it will never land on my doorstep” attitude. For the unlucky few however, it does.
Parental guidance must be instrumental in changing young children’s perception of farms. From a young age, parents must take the responsibility to inform their children about farm safety. Advertisement campaigns and appeals do great work, but if parents are not educating their children on a daily basis on the issue, this great work can be lost.
Call me lucky or call me stupid, the reality is I was not educated on farm safety. Had I been, I wouldn't have put myself in those situations
In recent years, a family moved in beside us from the local town. When they arrived the two young girls that lived there were very excited to go onto the farmyard to play. I remember very clearly their father in front of me being clear to them that the farm was to be respected and they were to stay away unless my father was there to show them around. It was one of the first occasions I had seen a parent informing their children about farm safety and in many ways it restored my faith in common sense. It led me to believe that we as a farming nation were changing our ways when it comes to farm safety.
As a child myself I was active on the farm and I could tell multiple stories about the close calls that I have had. I remember one occasion when I was helping my father load cattle in a narrow crush. I pulled off with the tractor and when I stopped I could not see where my father was.
At the time I was fully sure that my father was between the tractor and trailer when I had decided to pull off. I was convinced that I had killed him. I cannot even begin to tell you the relief I felt when I saw him standing at the end of the crush.
On another occasion, after cleaning out sheds, I was dumping the muck with the transport box and tractor. When I noticed all the straw didn’t tip out of the transport box, I got out of the tractor, placed myself between the back of the tractor and the muck heap and started scraping the straw out with a fork. Having left the handbrake off, the tractor backed up on me and wedged me between the transport box and the muck heap. Only for the tractor was a Massey 35x and I could give it a push, I wouldn’t be here to tell the story.
I have broken my mother’s toe, nearly got kicked by a bullock in the face and have been head-butted from behind by a cow and a ram. All before I was 16.
Call me lucky or call me stupid, the reality is I was not educated in farm safety. Had I been, I wouldn’t have put myself in those situations.
Tractor and machinery have killed 18 children since 2006. Drowning and falls make up the other six. The number of injuries and close calls are incalculable.
For me, the rude awakening has taken place. Embrace, the IFA, Macra and others have raised the topic to ensure awareness has increased since I was a young lad running aimlessly around a farm yard. Now it is up to parents and schools to continue to educate and organisations to continue their campaigns.
A message from Arthur Byrne, public safety manager of ESB
Never touch or come near fallen wires; always tell an adult.Stay well clear of thinks marked with the word ‘Danger’.Never climb trees near overhead wires.Never fly a kite or throw anything near overhead wires.Never fish near overhead wires.In an emergency the number to call is 1850 372 999.Seven things children must look out for on a farm
A safe and secure play area for children should be provided away from all work activities, in full view of the dwelling house.
Where children are not in a secure play area a high level of adult supervision must be provided.Children should not be allowed to access heights.Action should be taken to keep children away from dangerous areas.To eliminate the risk of drowning all open water tanks, wells and slurry tanks should be fenced off.Children should be given clear instruction on safety issues on the farmInstruct children that are carried in the tractor cab to wear seat belts at all times.82% of farmyards are deemed to have a safe play area for children, something that is a positive for farm safety according to the Health and Safety Authority. 24 children died on Irish farms since 2006.Breakdown of fatalities to
children:
10 deaths due to machinery, trailers, equipment.8 deaths due to tractors.4 deaths due to falls, collapse.2 deaths due to drowning.
For so many children who are raised on a family farm, the perception of a farmyard maybe isn’t what it should be. From a young age, it is seen as more of a playground than a potentially dangerous business enterprise. It is seen as somewhere to play football, hide and seek or cops and robbers.
Growing up on a farm, this was my perception. Kick a football and run around. There was almost a dismissive nature in the way we talked about farm safety back then. We approached it differently. I unfortunately belonged to the era where some PTO shafts were not covered and children sat on the back of the turf trailer about 10 feet in the air.
I even remember a neighbour having an open slurry tank with no fencing or any notice to the general public that it was so. You would feel uneasy just thinking about it.
Farmers back then belonged to the old stock. They had an “it will never land on my doorstep” attitude. For the unlucky few however, it does.
Parental guidance must be instrumental in changing young children’s perception of farms. From a young age, parents must take the responsibility to inform their children about farm safety. Advertisement campaigns and appeals do great work, but if parents are not educating their children on a daily basis on the issue, this great work can be lost.
Call me lucky or call me stupid, the reality is I was not educated on farm safety. Had I been, I wouldn't have put myself in those situations
In recent years, a family moved in beside us from the local town. When they arrived the two young girls that lived there were very excited to go onto the farmyard to play. I remember very clearly their father in front of me being clear to them that the farm was to be respected and they were to stay away unless my father was there to show them around. It was one of the first occasions I had seen a parent informing their children about farm safety and in many ways it restored my faith in common sense. It led me to believe that we as a farming nation were changing our ways when it comes to farm safety.
As a child myself I was active on the farm and I could tell multiple stories about the close calls that I have had. I remember one occasion when I was helping my father load cattle in a narrow crush. I pulled off with the tractor and when I stopped I could not see where my father was.
At the time I was fully sure that my father was between the tractor and trailer when I had decided to pull off. I was convinced that I had killed him. I cannot even begin to tell you the relief I felt when I saw him standing at the end of the crush.
On another occasion, after cleaning out sheds, I was dumping the muck with the transport box and tractor. When I noticed all the straw didn’t tip out of the transport box, I got out of the tractor, placed myself between the back of the tractor and the muck heap and started scraping the straw out with a fork. Having left the handbrake off, the tractor backed up on me and wedged me between the transport box and the muck heap. Only for the tractor was a Massey 35x and I could give it a push, I wouldn’t be here to tell the story.
I have broken my mother’s toe, nearly got kicked by a bullock in the face and have been head-butted from behind by a cow and a ram. All before I was 16.
Call me lucky or call me stupid, the reality is I was not educated in farm safety. Had I been, I wouldn’t have put myself in those situations.
Tractor and machinery have killed 18 children since 2006. Drowning and falls make up the other six. The number of injuries and close calls are incalculable.
For me, the rude awakening has taken place. Embrace, the IFA, Macra and others have raised the topic to ensure awareness has increased since I was a young lad running aimlessly around a farm yard. Now it is up to parents and schools to continue to educate and organisations to continue their campaigns.
A message from Arthur Byrne, public safety manager of ESB
Never touch or come near fallen wires; always tell an adult.Stay well clear of thinks marked with the word ‘Danger’.Never climb trees near overhead wires.Never fly a kite or throw anything near overhead wires.Never fish near overhead wires.In an emergency the number to call is 1850 372 999.Seven things children must look out for on a farm
A safe and secure play area for children should be provided away from all work activities, in full view of the dwelling house.
Where children are not in a secure play area a high level of adult supervision must be provided.Children should not be allowed to access heights.Action should be taken to keep children away from dangerous areas.To eliminate the risk of drowning all open water tanks, wells and slurry tanks should be fenced off.Children should be given clear instruction on safety issues on the farmInstruct children that are carried in the tractor cab to wear seat belts at all times.82% of farmyards are deemed to have a safe play area for children, something that is a positive for farm safety according to the Health and Safety Authority. 24 children died on Irish farms since 2006.Breakdown of fatalities to
children:
10 deaths due to machinery, trailers, equipment.8 deaths due to tractors.4 deaths due to falls, collapse.2 deaths due to drowning.
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