Monthly Focus For Children's Farm Safety

There's a campaign underway to help keep NI children safe on the farm.

The Chairman of the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland, (HSENI) Professor Peter McKie, has just launched the 2011 'Be Aware Kids' Child Safety on Farms calendar in Lisfearty Primary School, Dungannon.

First undertaken by the HSENI in 2004, the annual awareness initiative aimed at farmers, farm families, teachers, agricultural contractors and suppliers in a bid to eliminate fatal child incidents on farms and make them safer places where children can live and play.

Twelve winning images from over 1,140 entries to the 'Be Aware Kids' Child Safety on Farms rural primary school poster competition now feature in the 2011.

At the launch, Professor McKie presented framed copies of the overall winning entries from Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 to Pearse Toner (St. Mary's Primary School, Cookstown) and Caron Jones (Lisfearty Primary School) respectively, (pictured here).

He said: "Farms are not only places of work but they are home to many families and children across Northern Ireland. Whilst farms are extremely enjoyable places for children to grow up on, they can also be very dangerous.

"In the decade preceding the launch of the 'Be Aware Kids' Campaign, 16 children died in farm-related incidents.

"Between 2005 and 2008, thankfully there were no child deaths, however, tragically, in 2009 there was one fatal incident involving a child on a farm and this is a reminder to us all that there can be no room for complacency and that the safety of our children must be a top priority," he said, noting that 20,000 calendars are being distributed across the farming community.

(BMcC/GK)