National Farm Safety and Health Week focuses on child safety

[September 26, 2022]  By Zeta Cross | The Center Square contributor

(The Center Square) – It’s National Farm Safety and Health Week in Illinois – the annual week when the Department of Agriculture reminds people to slow down and be vigilant about preventing farm accidents.

Krista Lisser, public information officer for the Illinois Department of Agriculture, said this year’s Farm Safety and Health Week theme is “Protecting Agriculture’s Future.”

Farms can be dangerous places for children, she said. Let kids know that people operating equipment cannot always see them, she said. Teach children to keep well away from combines and other equipment.

Harvest time is hectic – with too much work and long, tiring days. Kids can get in harm's way in an instant, Lisser said.

“Know where the kids are at all times. They might be hiding in some place. They might try to play with equipment that could hurt them,” Lisser told The Center Square.

Lots of farm kids drive all-terrain vehicles in the fields. ATV injuries and fatalities on farms and ranches are widespread and increasing, Lesser said.

Farm Safety and Health Week is a good time to remind kids and teens that it is easy to flip an ATV if they are horsing around and not being careful.

“Make sure helmets are being worn and that kids are not going too fast or overloading the ATV,” Lisser said.

In the fall, the days are getting shorter, and visibility can be hampered, Lisser said. It is common for motorists who are used to whizzing down rural roads to crash into heavy farm equipment that they are not expecting, Lisser said.
 

“We have a lot of distractions when we are driving,” she said. “People are on their phones, or they are eating … or they have kids in the car. We need to pay attention to the road because slow moving farm vehicles can come up very quickly, when we don’t have enough time to stop.”

Notice when a combine is out in a field, she said. When a combine is out in a field, expect to see other vehicles going in and out of fields in the area – even when there is no roadway or intersection.

Farmers who are tired are at higher risk for accidents, Lisser said. To keep themselves and other people safe, farmers need to take care to get enough rest, she said. Think of rest as a safety precaution – not an indulgence. If stress is keeping a farmer or a member of a farm family up at night, there is a hotline to call, 1-833-FARM-SOS, with trained professionals available 24 hours a day.

“Calls are completely anonymous. It can really help to talk to someone when life feels like too much,” Lisser said.