Kids learn about farm safety
TIM SMITH/BRANDON SUN Enlarge Image
Twelve-year-old Tristan Darker of Birtle navigates a John Deere utility tractor through an obstacle course during a Youth Equipment Operators Workshop hosted by Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives at the Enns Brothers dealership on Monday.
For a kid growing up on a farm, operating machinery and working alone is fact of life. But during busy times, a thorough safety lesson can often be overlooked in favour of a brief tutorial.
In a bid to promote safe practices on the farm, Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives hosted the second installation of its Youth Equipment Operators Workshop in conjunction with the local Enns Brothers dealership in Brandon yesterday.
“Our intent is to talk to them about safe operation on the farm, what to look out for and to ask questions,” MAFRI rural leadership specialist and workshop organizer Leanne Tibbatts said.
“Accidents happen so quick, so we want to make sure they stop and ask those questions ahead of time so they can hopefully prevent them.”
Although the primary educators are typically the parents, Tibbatts says at times, it can be difficult for a parent or caregiver to fully explain themselves.
“We know that farmers are busy and sometimes it’s most difficult to teach your own family or your own children because you think they should know everything right off the bat,” she said. “We want the kids to stop and say ‘Hey, we don’t know how to operate this equipment, and where is the manual?’”
Twenty-one youth ages 10 to 17 attended the all-day workshop, which gave them the opportunity to drive three different tractors, a combine and a wagon hitched to a tractor.
On her family farm in Wawanesa, 17-year-old Megan Ellis has been responsible for everything from cutting grass to driving a tractor, a combine and a swather.
“It’s just part of the way it is when you grow up on a farm,” Ellis told the Sun moments after she manoeuvred through an obstacle course with a tractor pulling a wagon. “I’ve never really been nervous to drive (the machinery) … I could never back up very well before today, so that will be helpful.”
Ben McCaughan, 16, agreed, adding that the hands-on approach of the course gave him helpful insight into how he approaches safety on the farm.
“I usually just got on the tractor and went,” he said. “I didn’t check it over or anything, so it was good to be reminded today to do that … to check the tires, to check for leaks and all of that stuff.”
Farm Injuries and Deaths
* Every year in Manitoba about eight people die traumatically as a direct result of farm work.
* About 125 people are hospitalized because of farm work injuries and it is estimated that another 5,000 or more seek medical aid on work-related injuries and illnesses.
* Roughly 30,000 Manitobans are employed on farms. Additionally, about 70,000 people are exposed on a daily basis to the hazards of farming.
* Based on traumatic workplace fatality reports from 1983 to 2001, 46 per cent of those 326 fatalities have occurred while performing primary agricultural work.
ยป Government of Manitoba
Republished from the Brandon Sun print edition August 10, 2010 A3