Helping Kids Do Farm Jobs Safely: 

 Know Which Tasks Are Appropriate 

 for Your Children 



George Cook 



Extension Maple Specialist, University of Vermont 



Many injuries occur on farms because children are 

 involved in farm work that exceeds their physical and 

 mental abilities. As one father, a fourth generation 

 farmer says, "Our sons help somewhat, when they can. 

 You always have to consider age-appropriate tasks." 

 His other job, as a farm safety and Emergency Medical 

 Services instructor, serves as an acute reminder of the 

 human tragedy behind these statistics: 



• About 1 04 children die each year from agricultural 

 injuries; 



• Children younger than 16 years of age are victims 

 of up to 20 percent of all farm fatalities in both the 

 U.S. and Canada; 



• Children who do not live on farms are victims of 

 one-third to one-half of nonfatal childhood agri- 

 cultural injuries. 



For farm parents, there is a resource available to 

 help match children's abilities with agricultural job 

 requirements. How much weight can a 10-year-old 

 safely lift? What type of machinery is a child capable 

 of operating? Does your child have good eye-hand 

 coordination? Can an adult supervise as recom- 

 mended? Suggested parameters for these and other 

 questions are included in the North American 

 Guidelines for Children's Agricultural Tasks 

 (NAGCAT). 



"We hope these guidelines will help promote a 

 strong work ethic for young people by giving them safe 

 and appropriate opportunities for work experience 

 under adult supervision," says Barbara Lee, Ph.D. Dr. 



Lee led the team of parents, specialists in both 

 agricultural safety and child development, and other 

 key partners from the U.S., Canada, and Mexico that 

 developed the guidelines. This task was at the request 

 of farm parents who wanted guidance in assigning 

 appropriate tasks to children. 



There were five youth advisors to this planning 

 team. Says one 17-year-old participant, "It's a great 

 start, and I'm very enthused. We need to take a stand 

 on safety. The Guidelines can be another useful tool in 

 preventing injuries on farms and raising awareness." 



The guidelines cover 62 agricultural jobs focusing 

 on the most common childhood farm jobs (like 

 "feeding milk to calves"). Categories are Animal 

 Care, Manual Labor, Haying Operations, Implement 

 Operations, Specialty Production, Tractor Fundamen- 

 tals, and General Activities. 



The guidelines are based on a child's physical, 

 mental, and emotional development rather than a 

 child's age. "Kids develop at their own pace and are 

 influenced by their environment," Lee said. "If we 

 said a 10-year-old could do a certain job, we might put 

 half of them at risk." 



Each individual guideline includes a section on 

 Adult Responsibilities, Main Hazards, Child's 

 Ability, Supervision Required, Training To Do, and 

 Remember - PPE required. These guidelines are 

 colorful and easy to read with practical diagrams and 

 descriptive pictures. 



Being a parent always has been a balancing act. 

 Farm parents, in particular, face unique challenges. 

 These guidelines can help them offer their children a 



Copyright©2002 by Moose River Publishing Company. Reprinted with permission from Fanning, The Journal of 

 Northeast Agriculture, Volume 5, Number 3 (March), 2002, pp. 11-12. For subscription information, call Moose River 

 Publishing Company at (800) 422-7147 or write to Fanning, The Journal of Northeast Agriculture, P.O. Box 449, St. 

 Johnsbury, VT 05819-9929. 



Fruit Notes, Volume 68, Winter, 2003 



15 



