Farmers are being warned that children should never be allowed onto a farmyard, without adult supervision.
With schools out for summer, more children are out and about on farms, but Clare’s Crime Prevention Officer insists that these are workplaces which pose significant dangers for young people.
Sergeant Triona Brooks says every year, children lose their lives in farm accidents and that it’s not possible to safely look after children while working the farm at the same time.
Advice for farmers:
If you live on a farm, keep children out of work areas.
Have a fenced off safe play area in view of your home and easy to read danger signs and tell children what they mean.
Lock unattended vehicles, remove keys and keep them away from children. Put safety measures in place when finished using machinery.
Lower all loaders to the ground and guard all moving parts of machinery.
Keep children at a safe distance from livestock. Supervise children if they are close to or feeding any animal and fit correct fencing and gates.
Even a shower of rain can fill a container enough for a child to drown in – empty, fence off or safely cover anything that can collect water – this includes wells, ponds, drains, soak pits and water tanks and fence off exposed areas including slurry pits.
Make sure there is no access to high areas on the farm and don’t let children play on bales, as they can fall off them or between them and suffocate.
