National Farm Safety Week (March 14 to 20, 2006)

The Safety of Children on the Farm

Farm and ranch worksites present lethal hazards to young children. According to data from the Canadian Agricultural Injury Surveillance Program (CAISP), from 1990 to 2000 there were 109 fatal agricultural injuries to young children (aged 1 to 6 years) in Canada. Over 84 percent of the children were related to the farm owner/operators. Of those killed, 79 percent were boys.

Across Canada, three causes of injury accounted for almost 79 percent of the fatal agricultural injuries to children: bystander runovers, extra rider events, and drownings. Bystander runovers and extra rider events are usually fatal. When small children clash with powerful machinery, their injuries are so severe that there is negligible chance of survival, even if immediate medical care is available.

Bystander (or "blind") runovers are by far the most common cause of agricultural fatalities among young children, accounting for almost 34 percent of the deaths. These runovers occur when children playing in the farm or ranch worksite (usually the yard or drive way) are run over by a tractor, pick up truck or other farm vehicle. The vehicle is generally reversing at the time of the runover.

The practice of taking extra riders on tractors and other farm machines caused almost 25 percent of the deaths in this age group. Children are easily killed by a fall from a machine, or by a fall followed by a runover.

Drownings occur when young children wander away from parents who are engaged in chores. In minutes, they can slip or fall into a water source or manure lagoon. Nationally, 20 percent of agricultural deaths in children were due to drowning.

The Canada Safety Council supports these basic safety tips to protect children on farms and ranches:

Keep young children from entering the farm or ranch worksite.
Enforce a "no extra riders" rule on tractors and other farm machinery.
Provide fenced-in play areas with high-mounted, self-locking, gate closures for young children.

Governments can also help by putting into place affordable child care alternatives for farm and ranch families.

For more information about agricultural fatalities and hospitalized injuries in children and other demographic groups, visit the Canadian Agricultural Injury Surveillance Program's Web site .

Adapted with permission from the Alberta Centre for Injury Control & Research Newsletter, Vol. 6, No. 7, March 2004.

Download CSC resource (PDF): The Safety of Children on the Farm

Through National Farm Safety Week, the Canada Safety Council has highlighted the importance of diligence and safety on the farm for 35 years.