We always hear about the mishaps and accidents that can happen on the farm in the news, but seldom find out the times when an accident was averted and safety saved the day.
Safety at the workplace is always a worthwhile consideration no matter the occupation. But when your place of work is also your home, it’s all the more important to reinforce those lessons in staying safe, particularly for youth, say members of a local farm group.
To that end, the Waterloo Rural Women will be holding their 24th Children’s Farm and Home Safety Day next week.
“I think it’s always in the back of their mind, because we live where we work as farmers,” said event organizer Sharon Grose. “And we’re heading into a busy season right now, and planting time has been delayed and people are stressed and people sometimes take shortcuts.”
The event will see kids go through a series of stations, with games, activities and lessons designed to tackle the different hazards on the farm and off the farm. Topics include fire safety, which will be taught by local fire fighters; members from a local farm machinery dealership will be on hand to talk about safety around farm equipment; and OPP officers will be talking about bike safety.
The Safety Day will be held at Cookridge Farms on 2546 Berletts Rd., Wellesley on June 1, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tickets are $5 and include a pizza lunch and snacks. To register, contact either Donna Rogers at dmrogers@sympatico.ca, or Susan Martin, florahills2416@gmail.com.
“We encourage people who live on a farm and people who visit,” said Grose. “It’s a good idea to come to a farm safety day and just be aware of the safety issues. Or the things that you should be aware of on a farm.”
