Carol
J. Lehtola, Charles
M. Brown, and Chris
Eversole
University of Florida IFAS Extension
Parents strive to make their homes as safe as possible for
children, but children can face life-threatening dangers literally
'in their own backyards.' Yards, garages, work areas, barns,
etc. may present situations which would not endanger an adult,
but can be deadly to a child. These situations occur not only
on farms but also in cities and suburbs and on acreages.
A July 1999 incident in Lake Wales, Florida points out the
dangers to children who play around stored equipment or materials.
In this incident, a 4-year-old boy was playing with the family's
dogs on a stack of telephone poles that were to be used for
building a fence. One pole dislodged from the stack and pinned
him, resulting in his death.
Examples taken from a 1999 report by the Great Plains Center
for Agricultural Health also illustrate the results of unsafe
storage.
Case
1: Bale Fork Tips Over
A 7-year-old girl died when she was pinned beneath a round-bale
fork in the yard of her family's home. The hay fork, which
is used to move large round bales of hay, mounts on a front-end
loader. It was unattached from the tractor and was sitting
in grass next to the driveway with spikes pointing forward.
Apparently, the girl was playing on the spikes and the fork
tipped over. The weight of a 7-year-old girl was enough to
tip over a 300-pound fork because it was top-heavy and unsupported.
Case 2: Shipping Crate Falls
A 6-year-old boy was killed while playing in a building at
his home. The boy's father had purchased a piece of equipment
that was still in a wooden shipping crate. The boy's older
brother had backed a pick-up truck into the building, slid
the crate off the edge of the pick-up, and then leaned the
crate on edge against a wall. The 400-pound crate had horizontal
wooden members, similar to a pallet. The boy apparently was
climbing up the side of the crate when his weight pulled the
crate over. It fell on him and killed him.
Case
3: Trailer Pins Girl
A 4-year-old girl was killed while playing on a utility trailer.
She was reported missing at about suppertime. After a two-hour
search, she was found pinned under a utility trailer that
had been leaning against a building. The frame had horizontal
sections that the child was able to climb; the tongue extended
six feet up the wall.
Case 4: It Only Takes an Instant
A Michigan dairy farm couple learned how quickly a near-tragedy
can happen.
The wife took their 21-month-old son into the barn where she
was going to milk the cows. She didn't bring the playpen she
usually kept him in while doing chores. She thought that he
would stay close to her because the couple's other three children
were nearby.
But the son followed the couple's daughter out to see the
family's horse. As the husband was loading the feed cart with
the skid-steer loader, he noticed the daughter, but he overlooked
the infant son.
As he backed up a hill, the husband felt a bump, which, unfortunately,
was his infant son. The couple called for help immediately,
and the son was soon flown to the hospital. His only serious
injury was a severely broken leg.
The couple said that the experience taught them to be more
careful. They said that it was easy for them to take the heavy
equipment around their farm for granted. They would never
think of letting their children play around similar equipment
at a trucking firm or at a construction site, for example.
Case
5: Play Can Be Explosive
A 1989 incident in the Midwest shows the dangers of children
playing with what appears to be harmless device.
Two 4-year-old twins were playing while their father filled
his pick-up's LP gas converter tank. One of the twins picked
up a cattle prod and "zapped" the tank, causing
an explosion that severely burned both twins. (LP gas is heavier
than air, so the vapors traveled along the ground and were
ignited by the spark.)
Although the twins survived, one of them was burned over 55-65
percent of his body, and the other one was burned over 35-40
percent of his body.
The incident could have been avoided if the cattle prod had
been stored out of reach of the 4-year-olds.
Case
6: Risks from Broken Equipment
A farmer's close call in 1998 points out another type of danger.
The farmer had climbed into the gravity box mounted on a wagon
to push corn from the box into a silage bag.
Suddenly, the box tipped off the wagon's chassis, catapulting
the farmer away from it. The farmer slammed into the ground
and then rolled 15 feet. He suffered a cracked pelvis, but
recovered from the injury.
When he inspected the wagon, which he had borrowed from a
neighbor, the farmer discovered that the two rear brackets
holding the gravity box to the chassis were not fastened.
In addition, the right front bracket had been cracked earlier
and the weld that had been used to repair it had broken. The
left front bracket was fastened, but it had bent when the
wagon went over.
If children had been playing on the wagon while it was stored,
it might have fallen at that time and the children might have
been injured more seriously than the farmer was.
Other cases have involved children climbing on tractor tires
that were stored by leaning them against the wall of a building.
Tractor tires can weigh 1200-1500 pounds.
Climbing
on bales also has killed children.
How
Much Do You Know?
The
high-number of farm-related injuries to children shows
a need for safety. Test your knowledge with this quick
quiz.
1.
Usually children are injured on the farm when they are
involved in chores or are working? True or False.
2.
Identify the four major hazard areas that pose dangers
to children on the farm.
3.
Children identify with safety habits followed by adults
in their daily routines. True or False.
Answers
at end of publication.
|
Figure 1
Safety Audit
Parents can increase their family's awareness of dangers and
reduce risks by conducting a safety audit.
- To
perform the audit, walk through your farms, homes, shops,
and garages, then eliminate hazardous situations and change
procedures for storing equipment and material to minimize
dangers to children.
- Be
sure to include children in the safety audit so that they
will gain an appreciation of potential dangers. They respond
better if shown "why" rather than just being told
"don't".
- Bear
in mind that children see the world from a lower vantage
point than adults do. With this in mind, get down on your
hands and knees during the safety audit so you can see hazards
that may not be apparent when you're standing.
- Think
about past "close calls" or potential future situations
that might cause injuries. Determine the factors that were
or could be responsible for a near-miss and attempt to explain
them to children who are mature enough to understand.
- Remember
that children who visit you are especially fascinated with
new things to climb on. These situations occur not only
on farms but also in cities and suburbs and on acreages.
- When
items must be stored by leaning them against a wall, provide
anchors and supports so that they won't fall. Test stored
items to ensure that they are properly secured.
- Never
allow children to enter a farm building alone. Lock silos
and bins. Climbing on hay can be especially dangerous because
it easily can fall on children.
- Fence
off hazardous areas, including retention basins and ponds,
to prevent access to them.
- Consider
how an item appeals to children. Horizontal bars or members
of any item are an invitation for climbing and exploration.
- Keep
children away from work areas.
- Prevent
children from playing on machinery by storing it in a locked
or fenced area when possible.
- Remove
all keys from equipment when it is not in use, and keep
the keys out of reach.
- Keep
hydraulic equipment, such as front-end loaders, in a down
position when not using them. Hydraulic failures can result
in severe crushing incidents. Systems can fail while being
stored.
- Lock
the brakes on self-propelled equipment.
- Store
hand tools and power tools out of reach.
- Lock
sheds.
- Lock
unloaded guns in a separate location away from locked ammunition.
- When
feasible, place unused tires flat on the ground. If necessary
to prop, make sure that they are chained or anchored to
the wall. Tractor tires can weigh 1200-1500 pounds each.
- Cap
wells. The danger of uncapped wells captured the world's
attention in October 1987, when 18-month-old Jessica McClure
of Midland, Texas was trapped at the bottom of a 22-foot-deep
well for 58 hours.
At least half of U.S. citizens who die from pesticides are
children under age 10. Follow these tips to reduce pesticide
risks to children:
- Understand
how children are poisoned.
They are attracted to containers and bright colors.
They want to imitate parents by "working" with
chemicals and containers.
Children often want to put things into their mouths.
- Know
what's dangerous. Unsafe items include:
pesticides and fertilizers;
soaps, bleaches, starch, stain remover, and other cleaning
products;
drain cleaner; dairy pipeline cleaner; paints and related
products; fuels;
treated seed.
- Keep
toxic substances in their original containers which have
labeling about first-aid procedures and chemicals involved.
- Keep
gas and fuel in proper containers.
- Keep
all toxic substances (including spigots, hoses, pumps, and
rags) on high shelves in either a locked building or inaccessible
area.
- Never
leave toxic products unattended during use and avoid using
poisons in front of children.
- Discard
dangerous substances properly in a way that children do
not have access to them.
- Post
"Danger" signs around locked chemical storage
areas. Teach children who can't yet read the meaning of
the danger symbol.
Falls from farm machinery and in buildings are a major cause
of injuries under age 9.
One grandfather walked out of the shed to find his 3- and
6-year-old grandsons at the top of the grain auger system,
60 feet in the air. Fortunately, he got them down safely.
His solution was to cut off the bottom six feet of the ladder
and install a quick-attach mechanism on the ladder. The lower
section of the ladder was then stored in a nearby shed. Thus,
anyone needing to use the ladder had easy access to it, but
unauthorized climbing was eliminated.
Ladders on silos, grain bins and similar structures that go
all the way to the ground should be secured in a way that
is designed to prevent children from climbing them. A simple
barricade can be made with plywood, hinges, and a padlock.
One-third of all entrapments and suffocation in flowing grain
involve children under age 14. Follow these tips with grain
storage equipment and buildings.
- Never
allow children to play in grain, ride in grain wagons, or
get into bins or hoppers. Grain may fascinate children,
but it acts like quicksand when flowing. A child can be
completely covered in as little as 10-15 seconds.
- Never
allow children into areas in which grain is loaded or unloaded.
- Never
leave an auger or wagon unattended. Grain incidents happen
quickly. The forces on a body submerged in grain make rescue
almost impossible.
- Post
warning decals on wagons and bins.
Electricity is always a danger for children. Follow these
tips with wiring and electrical equipment.
- If
you have children under age 3, keep cords out of their reach
to prevent kids from being burned by chewing on the cords,
pulling down the appliance, or becoming strangled.
- Keep
children away from areas in which heaters or fans are running.
- Unplug
tools and appliances and store them securely after you use
them.
Designated play areas protect children by isolating them from
farm work equipment. However, this does not eliminate the
need for supervision.
One play area might be the porch of the farmhouse and the
surrounding yard. A fence will reinforce the division between
the work and play environments.
Try to provide appropriate play items, such as swings, scale
models of farm equipment, toys, a sandbox, or playhouse, that
make the play area appealing to children.
Vicki's Visit
The University of Florida agricultural safety specialist has
worked with staff at the University of Kentucky to develop
a series of interactive stories to provide education about
safer practices.
Vicki's Visit concerns a girl who visits her cousins on the
farm and comes across a variety of "neat" things
to play with.
The story
forms the basis for an activity in which both children and
their parents can participate. The University of Florida Agricultural
Safety program also can provide examples of hazard identification
and walk-around activities that allow children and parents
to identify potential hazards and find solutions.
The "Vicki's Visit" activity and other safety resources
may be obtained from the state agricultural safety specialist,
or check the Florida AgSafe Network Web site: <http://www.flagsafe.ufl.edu/>.
The state agricultural safety specialist also serves a primary
adviser for the North American Guidelines for Children's Agricultural
Tasks Project, which in June 1999 published booklets that
help parents match their sons' and daughters' abilities with
requirements of agricultural jobs.
The guidelines were developed because children often aren't
mature enough or coordinated enough to drive tractors, hitch
equipment and care for livestock, and the guidelines help
parents understand what's reasonable.
A link to the Guidelines can be found at the Florida AgSafe
Network Web site:
<http://www.flagsafe.ufl.edu/>
You may obtain more information on Agricultural Safety at
the Florida AgSafe Web site:
The Florida AgSafe Network -- A service of the Agricultural
Safety Program of the University of Florida's Cooperative
Extension Service. <http://www.flagsafe.ufl.edu/>
At this site, there are many other resources listed for home
and farm safety, as well as emergency and disaster materials.
You may also contact your local county Extension office.
"Be Careful How You Store Equipment," Iowa Fatality
Assessment and Casualty Evaluation Center (FACE). On the Web:
<http://www.public-health.uiowa.edu/face/Alerts/3-Children.htm>
"Children and Safety on the Farm," Cooperative Extension
Service, the Pennsylvania State University, 112 Agricultural
Administration Building, University Park, Penn., 16802.
"Farm Safety for Young Children" Farm Safe newsletter,
July 1992 and September 1992, Cooperative Extension Service,
Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Iowa
State University, Ames, Iowa 50011.
Rhythm of the Seasons, Marilyn Adams and Mary Kay Shanley,
Sta-Kris, Inc., Marshalltown, Iowa. 1997.
"Teaming Up: A Farm Safety Walkabout for Kids,"
Farm Safety 4 Just Kids National Headquarters, P.O. Box 458,
Earlham, Iowa 50072-0458.
Answers
to "How Much Do You Know?"
1. False
2. Machinery and equipment; livestock areas; farm buildings;
farm workshop,
3. True.
Disclaimer
and Reproduction Information: Information in NASD does not
represent NIOSH policy. Information included in NASD appears
by permission of the author and/or copyright holder. More
NASD Review: 08/2002
1.
This document is
AE297
, one of a series of the Agricultural and Biological Engineering
Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute
of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida.
This publication was supported in part by Grant 99020401 from
the National Institute for Occupation and Safety and Health
(NIOSH). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the
authors and do not necessarily represent the official views
of NIOSH. First published February 2001. Please visit the
EDIS Web site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.
2. Carol J. Lehtola, assistant professor and Extension Agricultural
Safety Specialist; Charles M. Brown, coordinator information/publication
services; Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department,
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of
Florida, Gainesville; and Chris Eversole, Public Information
Officer, Alachua County, Florida.
The
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is an equal opportunity/affirmative
action employer authorized to provide research, educational
information and other services only to individuals and institutions
that function without regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap,
or national origin. For information on obtaining other extension
publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension Service
office. Florida Cooperative Extension Service/Institute of
Food and Agricultural Sciences/University of Florida/Christine
Taylor Waddill, Dean.
|