The company’s work with ag safety group is based on the expectation that there will be more children on the farm this year
The Canadian Agriculture Safety Association and BASF are digitally expanding farm safety resources for children.
The new resource comes as the COVID-19 pandemic affects family life. With kids at home because of school closures, it’s expected more of them will be involved in activities on the farm, said Wayne Barton, the manager of research and commercial development with BASF Agricultural Solutions Canada.
At the same time, Barton said, children won’t have the ability to participate in special safety events in person. It means they’ll need more online resources.
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“Our new tool ensures children, parents and teachers still have access to the valuable farm safety information,” Barton said in an April 23 news release.
The leading causes of farm-related injuries in children are drownings and machine run-overs and rollovers, according to the Canadian Agriculture Safety Association (CASA).
It said about five children die from these injuries in Canada every year.
The association said many “safety days” events, which typically run in April through June, have been cancelled or postponed because of the pandemic. People wouldn’t be able to effectively distance themselves from one another.
Safety days teach children how to be safe and prevent harmful incidents on farms. Learning topics include sun safety, safe animal handling and avoiding chemical exposure.
CASA partners with the Progressive Agriculture Foundation to deliver the events to kids. It said more than 157,000 youth have participated in 936 safety events since 2002. BASF has also been a supporter of the events.
The online resource, however, provides lots of information and interactive material, CASA said.
It includes colouring sheets, a grain safety game and a video series on safety and health-related activities. The platform is now available.
“The need to provide families with educational yet engaging content has never been more important,” said Marcel Hacault, the executive director with CASA, in the news release.
