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Round-Up Safety Day Camps
About Farm Safety Round ups | Round-up Highlights | Test Your Farm Safety Knowledge | When and Where | Who Should Attend
Farm safety day camps provide youth an opportunity to learn about agricultural hazards and injury prevention. The mission of the camp program is to teach youth about rural dangers; however the campers do not have to be farm children to benefit from the educational sessions. Injuries from horses, livestock, ponds, lawn mowers and electricity can occur to anyone, not just farm kids. Campers learn in a fun, interactive way the consequences of poor judgement around power machinery, flowing grain, and livestock. Hands-on demonstrations enforce the safety messages to youth that they will never be able to over power a machine, hold on during a tractor roll-over, or escape from flowing grain. The camps are organized in 5 - 10 communities each year. To date over 6,400 youth have enrolled in the safety camp program!
The Farm Safety Day Camp program is a partnership with Ohio Farm Bureau and is sponsored at the state level by Nationwide Insurance Enterprise and the Ohio 4-H Foundation. Since 1997, the camps have attracted over 6400 campers and have gained recognition with media, state legislators and the rural public. Designed to create awareness of hazards on farms and in rural areas, the camp staff works closely with community organizations and agri-businesses to create unique learning experiences for youth.
Numerous agricultural safety studies report children are put in high-risk situations with regards to farm work. Each year, over 100 children die and more than 24,000 youth experience serious injury as associated with agricultural activities. However for the most part, the homesite is the worksite for these children and the hazards are abound. For the farm family, it's difficult to define where the backyard ends and the barnyard begins. The perplexity of the situation lies in the fact that unlike other occupations, farming attracts and includes family members of all ages. As a way of life, this culture will not change.
The day camp sessions are hands-on opportunities for youth to see "what happens when" an incident occurs on the farm. Campers watch a dummy being pulled into a working Power Take-Off shaft, then they test their own reaction time to see how quickly they can react to a situation. Miniature gravity wagons and grain bins demonstrate the hazards of flowing grain. A remote-controlled tractor helps youth recognize the importance of a Rollover Protective Structure on a tractor, and why being a second rider on agricultural equipment is not safe. Many community fire departments have a Fire House and the electric co-ops have an Electric Town they bring to the camps. Local YMCA, ODNR and Water Rescue Teams provide resource people for water safety sessions. Health departments and hospitals also get involved with rural health sessions like Pretty Poisons, sun safety, and first aid.
Over the years, youth have identified their favorite camp sessions to include 1) tractor and machinery safety, 2) livestock safety, 3) ATV safety, 4) fire safety and 5) electrical safety. National and state data identifies the tractor as the most hazardous agent for youth on farms. Machinery, livestock, drowning and suffocation related incidents follow. It is of significant interest that the campers are learning and enjoying the educational sessions that are on the "most dangerous" list as prepared by fatality statistics. It is always difficult to identify the incentive to learn about safety; enjoying the topic is certainly the first step towards educational growth and attitudinal change. If young people can recognize the value of protective factors and avoid dangerous situations, then the objectives of the day camps will have been met. In the words of a farmer, and father, attending a camp: "If you can save just one kid from a vicious accident, your camps will be worth the work."
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Welcome Everybody! Get Ready To Have Some Fun At The Farm Safety Round-Up |
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Grain Bin Safety -- Instructors use a model grain bin to demonstrate how quickly grain entrapment can occur. |
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Fire Safety -- Smokehouses allow campers to experience the realities of fire without placing them in a dangerous situation. Campers learn about the properties of smoke and practice making escape routes. |
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Lunch Time! -- Campers sit and chat about their day camp experiences during lunch. During day-long camps, a lunch or snack is usually provided. |
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This group of campers pose to have their pictures taken between sessions. |
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What's Wrong With This Picture? -- That's exactly what campers are trying to figure out during this tractor safety session. As a group, the campers figure out what dangers are present on this model farm and then discuss what can be done to correct the dangerous situation. |
Test Your Farm Safety Knowledge
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Crossword Puzzle |
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Word Find |
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Safety Quiz |
| To Be Announced
Soon!!! |
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Likes Animals |
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Likes Tractors |
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Mows the Lawn |
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Uses Electricity |
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Rides an ATV |
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Is Interested in First Aid |
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Swims in a Lake, Pond, or Swimming Pool |
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Likes to try new things |
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Wants to spend a fun-filled day meeting new people |