Educators just don’t teach in schools. Educators are also 4-H leaders, coaches, Guide and Scout leaders and other adults with an interest in seeing youth and children learn and thrive in the community. Educators, whether in a school setting or in the community, can be the difference for farm safety for children and youth.
As an educator, you can help farm children and youth stay healthy and safe on the farm. The first step to being the difference as an educator is to understand the issues. It’s important to understand the roles that children and youth often take on their family farms. Those young people may be depended on to help out with chores, look after younger siblings and generally contribute to the running of the farm operation.
What else can an educator do? Start by having conversations about farm safety with children and youth. Ask young people about their farms and help them develop tactics that they could use to address safety concerns on their farm, including ideas about staying away from ongoing farm work and speaking up if they see something dangerous. Let them know that you are there to talk to about any concerns. Become a trusted advisor.
Modelling safety-first behaviour to children and youth can have positive impacts on young peoples’ attitudes and behaviour. When educators model good safety practices, this shows young people that safety-first attitudes and behaviour are the norm. Just like budding leaders require good role models for leadership in the community, safe and healthy youth require safe and healthy role models.
Helping children, youth and their parents understand the hazards on the farm is one of the best ways educators can be the difference. Farm safety training and education events are excellent, unthreatening ways to create a sense of awareness around farming hazards.
Sometimes, parents think their child is faster, smarter, stronger and more capable of completing tasks than other young people. A farm safety education event can show children and their parents that hazards do exist and without knowledge and training the risks of injury are great. The Progressive Agriculture Foundation’s Safety Day program is one such educational event that highlights hazards on farms and is geared specifically to children.
Glen Blahey is with the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association
