High-Risk Harvest: Kids and Farm Safety

Farm Safety Week is going on right now.

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — We know that farming and ranching are some of the most dangerous professions in America.

And now that harvest is getting underway, child safety experts say it’s time to be on alert.

National statistics show a kid is killed every 3 days on the farm.

About 33 children are injured every day in an ag-related accident.

And before you think it’s older kids working around the gear who get hurt the most, think again.

It’s kids who aren’t old enough to be working on the farm who wind up with 60 percent of injuries.

They’re most frequently children who live there, whose parents are busy with long hours and hard workloads in harvest season.

Sanford Health child safety experts say those risks can be mitigated, with these precautions:

Make sure you fence off pools, ponds, manure and garbage pits.

Lock silos and grain bins so kids aren’t tempted to play there.

And, tough as it is to put off a child who’s fascinated by tractors and other farm equipment, they recommend not putting a child on an adult-size ATV or a tractor.

Sanford is seeing a sharp rise in injuries and deaths in kids connected to ATVs.

For tips on age-appropriate tasks and activities around the farm, check out the link here:

https://www.sanfordhealth.org/locations/sanford-childrens-safety-center-fargo