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22 - PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, July 23, 1991 "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" ==Farm Safety Week==3 SOR SRA By Julia Demp Eight pre-school children died in farm-related accidents in Ontario last year. One was crushed under the weight of a steel divider. An- other drowned in a watering trough for cattle. Another was pinned under a tractor when it flipped. And many were run over by tractors driven by their parents or siblings. None of those children resid- ed in Durham Region. In fact, the last farm fatality involving a child in this region occurred on August 4, 1987. That same year, two area women developed a child care program designed to cater to the unique needs of farmers. The Durham West Farm Child Care program was the brainchild of Barbara Evans and Corine Croxall. Both are members of the Bethesda- Reach Women's Institute and both belong to farming fami- lies. The women started the ser- vice because they noticed a need for accessible and afforda- ble child care for farmers. Other day care operations need a steady enrollment, but farmers don't have a predicta- ble schedule, present program director Miriam Reesor told the Port Perry Star. The seasonal work on a farm means a family may need child care for three weeks straight but not for the rest of the year. "There are many variables that make child care planning unpredictable for farmers," Mrs. Reesor said. Because of the unseasonably warm weather this year, straw- berry season started early, she noted. One farm family, which hires live-in child care help, was left high and dry when the season started two weeks early. The Durham West Farm Child Care program sent one of its five trained professionals to help the family on a daily basis until the scheduled help ar- rived. "Even when you do plan, na- ture doesn't always let you fol- low through with your plans," Mrs. Reesor said. Although the managerial re- sponsibilities now lie in the hands of the East Central Agri- cultural Employment Centre -- Mrs. Reesor's employer -- the premise of the service remains the same. A trained child care profes- sional comes directly to the farm to care for the children on an ad hoc basis. "We don't look at it as a baby- sitting service, though," Mrs. Reesor said, adding it is the re- sponsibility of the child care worker to plan activities geared towards the children's ages. And while they take care of the children, the parents are able to keep their minds fo- cused on the task at hand. "In farming, you need all hands on deck at all times," Mrs. Reesor said. "Our service allows farmers to give their full attention to the job, and to safe- ly do the many tasks at hand." With farming being the most dangerous occupation and the only one where children are raised in the workplace, farm- ers need the peace of mind the service offers, she said. The program also offers af- fordable rates. The farm family pays the caregiver $3.50 an hour. The rest of the caregiver's wage is subsidized -- partly through the fundraising efforts of the East Central Agricultu- ral Employment Centre and a Health and Welfare Canada' Child Care Initiative fund. "If the true cost was charged (to the farmers) the service wouldn't even be an option," Mrs. Reesor said. . The future of the program is in jeopardy, though. "That's a question mark at this time," Mrs. Reesor said in response to the program's fu- ture. The Child Care Initiative fund is scheduled to end in March, 1992 and Mrs. Reesor is not optimistic about its rein- statement. "Funding is really tight," she said. But the success of the pro- gram should justify the fund- ing, she added. "We feel the program has been really well used," she said, adding that 52 families have used the service over the past four years. iii oo or Sa The Durham West Farm Child Care program offers an Invaluable service by protecting Durham's future farmers from the numerous hazards around the farm. The program, which services all of Durham Region, has five on-call child care workers. Pictured above, Mari Nash of Nestleton reads a book to three-year-old Alison Wetheral of Sunderland and her five-month-old brother Sheldon. Marl cares for the Wetheral children three days a week. During the rest of the week, she helps at the homes of other Durham farm families. Please see story for additional information on the child care program. Safety Council offers Studies show that every year, sev- eral children are injured or killed on Canadian farms. In Ontario alone, eight children died in farm-related accidents last year. That amounts to more than one- fifth of the fatalities reported to the Farm Safety Association. Farming -- pegged as the most dan- gerous occupation -- is unique in the fact that it is the only workplace where children are raised and the only industry where children under the age of 16 are fatally injured on the job. Farm parents must guide and pro- tect their children on the farm, the Canada Safety Council says. Operating farm machinery is an adult's job, and allowing a 10 year old to guide a tractor is risking that child's life, the council states. Chil- dren are driving tractors, running machinery, tending large animals and becoming involved in situations where experience is necessary in split-second decision making. The Canada Safety Council sug- gests the following safety tips on how to protect children from harm on the farm. *Don't allow children to ride on farm equipment. Keep them away from moving machinery. Make sure everyone is safely away before back- Ing up or going forward. _ "Remove ignition keys from motor- ized equipment. Leave equipment that might drop (like a front end load- er) in the down position. sr ores in farm ponds and manure pits. tips to help safeguard farm children *Barricade or lock up silos, grain bins and chemical storage areas. Store pesticides, chemical products, and medications in inaccessible or locked places. Keep them in original containers and never transfer to food or drink containers. After use prompt- ly return them to safe storage. *Assign children chores and jobs appropriate for their age and develop- ment. Don't give a child an adult's job. Teach and supervise them on each new task until they have proven com- petence and trustworthiness.