The Farm Safety Association is offering grants of up to 500 dollars for farm families to set up safe play areas that will physically limit a childs exposure to hazards on the farm.
Association President and CEO Dean Anderson says this is the second year they have offered grants to try and reduce the number of injuries and deaths that happen to young farm children.
Anderson says the family farm is not only a child’s home but it also is a workplace and contains all sorts of hazards.
He says there is no way a six year old can be considered working on the farm, and that is why they must be removed from the work environment.
Anderson says the safe play area should be a fenced in with a child proof lock on the gate and contain lots of safe play equipment so the child does not get bored.
He says the one thing they don’t recommend is something like a play pond or pool which could result in a young person to drown.
Anderson says there will be 100 grants available this year and application forms are available on the Association’s website at www.farmsafety.ca
