North American Guidelines for Children’s Agricultural Tasks:

Helping kids do the job safely

A project of the National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety.

Audience -- this workshop is intended for:

parents teachers health professionals extension educators safety specialists other care providers

Assumptions

Materials on hand– Successful Farming

May 1999 feature article

– Frequently asked questions handout

Objectives --

After you participate in this session, you will be able to: Describe the significance of the childhood farm

injury problem. Explain how a child’s developmental stage affects

their potential for a serious injury. Describe at least two developmental stages of kids

including characteristics of kids in those stages and risks related to those characteristics.

Objectives (continued)

Explain how the NAGCAT guidelines were developed and how they can be used.

Explain the structure of the NAGCAT guidelines and apply one or more guidelines to a specific situation.

Describe the types of NAGCAT guidelines that are available.

Child Injury on the Farm

Facts:

About every 3 days, a child dies in an agriculture-related incident.

Hour for hour, children have a higher rate of injuries as compared to their parents or caregivers.

Every day about 38 children are injured in agricultural- related incidents

Percent of Fatalities in Youth by Source

Source: 2014 Childhood Agricultural Injuries in the U.S. Fact Sheet

Child Development and Farming Injuries

What do the following incidents have in common? A 7 year-old boy helps move cattle through a shed. He

blocks off an exit so a heifer can’t escape, but the animal head butts the child, throwing him over a low wall onto a concrete floor.

A 10 year-old boy pulls a baler and loaded hayrack onto a gravel road. The tractor and load slide and overturn, pinning the child underneath the tractor.

A 13 year-old girl harvesting tree fruit falls from a ladder and suffers a serious closed-head injury.

These incidents:

Involved children Are relatively common Are often serious or even fatal Involve kids doing things that are unsafe or

that they are not “ready” to do Are not a result of the child being “careless!”

They result from kids being kids...

How Children Grow & Develop

Children “grow” -- the size of their body increases.

They “develop” -- there is a gradual change in function resulting in more complex skills and abilities.

Example: A Child Age 7 - 9:

Has a rapid increase in muscle tissue. Has a period of slow, but steady growth.

Thinks in a concrete way --- must touch/taste/feel something to really understand it.

Wants to be with adults as they do their work. Cannot adequately follow verbal instructions -- tasks must

be demonstrated.

Examples of growth-based characteristics

Examples of developmentally-based characteristics

Child Growth and Development Issues

Rate of child G&D varies between children. Child G&D happens in a predictable sequence. Parents often overestimate their child’s

developmentally-based abilities. Children performing work beyond their

developmental and growth-based limits are at risk.

Assignment - Use the one-page handout to determine how a child’s developmentally-based characteristics affects their farm injury risk, and what can be done to help protect kids within each age group

Age

7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Developmentally-based abilities

Physical size

decision making, motor skills, social skills, ability to understand and follow directions, risk taking

Injury potential?

North American Guidelines for Children’s Agricultural Tasks

Developed to help parents and other care providers make informed decisions about when it’s appropriate to allow kids to perform key farm jobs.

Requested by parents. Based on a research process involving farm

safety and health professionals, child development experts, and parents themselves!

Guideline Structure

Title Illustration of job Adult responsibilities Checklist to help assess the child’s mental,

psychosocial, and physical abilities Main hazards Safety reminders Level of supervision recommended

Title & Illustration

Adult Responsibilities

Checklist

Hazards and Reminders

Supervision Recommended

Assignment --

A family has three children: boy -- age five, very active, curious, loves to

“help” mom and dad. girl -- age nine, 54-inches tall, 76 pounds, very

athletic, often has trouble paying attention and following directions

boy -- age 13, 64 inches tall, 115 pounds, follows directions very well, a little bit clumsy

Use the Guidelines in the SF Handout to Determine:

Which jobs each of the three children might be ready to perform?

What special procedures and practices would you recommend?

What additional information is needed to determine which jobs are appropriate?

Where is the best source for that information?

Remember ----

These are only guidelines! Similar to age guidelines on children’s toys and

games Children vary dramatically…..some 12-year

olds can perform fairly difficult tasks….other kids need to wait until they’re 16 or older!

If you have doubts…always err on the safe side

Additional Guidelines

Other guidelines are available, grouped by: animal care (i.e. milking cows with a pipeline) haying operations (i.e. baling hay) implement operations (i.e. using an auger wagon) manual labor (i.e. picking rock) specialty production (i.e. harvesting tobacco) general activities (i.e. repairing fence) tractor fundamentals (i.e. connecting a PTO)

Questions & Discussion

For more information, see:

www.nagcat.org

Supported by funds from NIOSH-funded National Children's Center in Marshfield, WI. A project of the National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety at 1-800-662-6900.