HSE issues guidance on protecting children

Industry advised to take particular care during school break due to coronavirus

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has issued strict advice to the agricultural industry on how to keep children safe on farms while they are at home during the Covid-19 restrictions.

The farmers’ unions and rural organisations have already appealed to farmers for extra vigilance during the extended break from school, and called for children to be kept safely away from all work activity.

Now HSE is working with other government departments as part of the national response to coronavirus, and has reminded the farming industry that every year children – mostly family members – are killed or seriously injured during agricultural work activities.

Last year, two three-year-olds were killed on farms in preventable incidents.

HSE’s key rules are: Keep children out of work areas, play areas should be secure and away from the work area; if children are in a work area, they must be closely supervised by an adult who isn’t involved in any work.

Also, children aged under 13 are specifically prohibited from driving or riding on any agricultural machine; and children should be kept out of pens, out of handling facilities and well away when animals are being moved or handled.

HSE’s acting head of agriculture, Adrian Hodkinson, said not only would any harm caused to a child be devastating for the family, part of the reason for keeping children at home during the pandemic was to protect the NHS and avoid burdening services with injuries and issues that are avoidable.

“Farm work should stop immediately if an unsupervised child appears in any work area,” he added

“We should always separate our work life from our home life and farming should be no different to any other job. Farms are full of hazards – vehicles and other machines, large animals, deep lagoons, a variety of chemicals and hazardous dusts – they are not a place for children, unless risk is very carefully managed.”

HSE has a range of resources and guides available to help the industry manage risks and more information about keeping children safe on the farm can be found at www.hse.gov.uk/ agriculture