The current pandemic can be confusing and a tough time for all of us, especially children.
With COVID-19 possibly shutting down schools for the fall, health and safety experts say that it is important for mom, dad, or any guardian to sit down with young children and talk about farm safety.
“A couple of things that parents can do to make sure their elementary aged students, or children, are safe, is to create safe play areas, and what that is is an area where a child can play and be supervised at the same time,” said Melissa Ploeckelmann is with the National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety.
Also, it is important to talk with kids about not running out to see people they know and love, because they are working and may not be looking out for children. That conversation is just as important for older children who have chores or work responsibilities on the farm as well.
PPEs is a hot topic for the ag and non-ag communities right now.
Ploeckelmann says that while a lot of people are wearing a cloth mask when they visit businesses around town, that may not be a good fit on the farm.
“If you are doing things such as spraying pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, if they’re working in dusty environments, sometimes they need to be wearing N95 masks.”