Farm Safety Camp Manual PDF Version


Judy Hartley
Georgia Department of Human Resources



Families living in farming communities experience some real advantages that others in the United States may miss. Time together is one of the biggest advantages, even if part of that time together involves working together. Many farm families picnic near the fields at lunchtime so the children can have time with their father. And, as the children grow older, they work along side family members on the farm. Again, time spent together.

The flip side to time together is farm children get hurt and killed because they live, work and play around the industry of farming. What can be done to help your community's children? Two approaches that have proved successful in other communities are:

  • First, make the community aware of the childhood injuries and dangers associated with farming.
  • Second, share with your community information on how to decrease the dangers of farming for children.
Fortunately, both of these approaches can be accomplished through a community sponsored and implemented farm safety day camp. Successful camps are the result of planning, working together as a community, and providing accurate information. Frequently, one person starts the process and, in turn, involves others. The entire community benefits because the rewards are beyond measurement. If your camp teaches one child how to avoid an injury, that alone makes the camp worthwhile!

Communities tend to come together when there is a purpose or cause that everyone shares. Certainly, childhood safety is such an issue. Anyone involved in agriculture probably knows of a child who has been severely injured or worse, killed, as the result of a farm injury. Agricultural communities frequently have many people who care and are willing to help, they simply need someone to invite them and include them. How many people are needed to offer a community camp? You will probably need a camp coordinator, clerical assistance, and two groups of volunteers. First, the volunteers.
  1. Sponsor volunteers are important since all camps need financial backing. Local commercial businesses that depend on agriculture are often eager to help financially sponsor and/or participate in a camp. These could include farm implement dealers, banks, feed and seed stores, agricultural chemical dealers, AgGeorgia Farm Credit, and Electric Membership Corporation, to name a few. Community hospitals are also willing participants and sponsors. Frequently, the emergency room personnel want to be involved. They see, firsthand, the tragedies that can result from farm injuries. Local insurance groups or agencies such as Farm Bureau and State Farm have an interest in reducing farm injury and are usually willing participants. Samples of thank you notes to sponsors are included in the "Forms" section.

  2. Committees that many communities find useful include:
  • Food Committee - Snacks, water, and lunch or supper may be offered at a one-day camp. It is a good idea to have someone on this committee who is familiar with serving food to crowds. It is very important to keep hot foods hot, cold foods cold, and never serve food that has been sitting out more than 2 hours. It is also recommended to avoid caffeine drinks since many camps are offered during hot weather and caffeine increases the chance of dehydration. Special needs of campers must also be considered such as diabetes, food allergies, etc.
  • Marketing Committee- The local newspaper and local radio programs are always interested in sharing community news. This committee can develop and place posters and flyers in local businesses. Visual displays are a good way to spread the news. (Locations for posters might include Farm Credit office, Extension, feed and seed stores, hardware stores, veterinarians' offices, emergency room waiting areas, and insurance company offices). The "Publicity" section has examples of public service announcements and a press release in the "Publicity" section.
  • Facility/Setup Committee - Selects, well in advance, a location and verifies the day before camp that the selected facility is well lighted, garbage cans are strategically placed, rest rooms are operational, and class rooms are setup correctly. Committee members need to arrive early for camp to ensure that directional signs are in place.
  • Cleanup Committee - Usually a good idea to have this committee separate from the setup committee because the camp day may get long. A goal for this committee is to ensure that the facility is at least as clean after camp as it was before camp.
  • Registration Committee- Need someone to register the campers and receive mailed in registrations, assure that health forms and waivers are signed (see Forms section), and assign children to groups. This group may also be responsible for coming up with a way to identify the groups through a specific colored name tag, hat, etc. for each group of campers.
  • Audio-visual/Classroom Committee- Verify that each faculty member has the equipment necessary for his/her class. This should be determined in advance so there is time to borrow any needed audiovisual equipment from the library or school.
  • Faculty/faculty coordinator - This committee obtains and schedules the faculty. The classes offered in a day camp should be taught by people with experience in the field/topic they are asked to teach. Plus, the classes need to cover specific material that is age-appropriate, or the campers will not take away the knowledge and skills they need to reduce injuries. Examples of faculty could include a first aid or first responder course taught by an EMT (emergency medical technician) or an emergency room nurse. Tractor safety might be offered by an ag teacher or extension agent, water safety by a Red Cross instructor or physical education teacher, animal safety by an extension agent or 4-H agent, and skin cancer prevention by a nurse, doctor, or in Georgia, a specially trained extension agent. The class outlines included in this manual cover the recommended subjects in a format designed for children 8-12 years of age and the content is designed to be useful to a community day camp faculty. A faculty coordinator oversees contacting and scheduling qualified faculty. If possible, have a back-up instructor for each class OR a back-up class offering in the event of a last minute cancellation. Remind the faculty of "Take Home Information" in the manual.
  • First aid Committee -This committee should be staffed with someone who is certified in first aid. A nurse (from local public health or a community hospital) is a good choice since there may be children attending camp who require daily medications. This committee will retain the medical forms ("Forms" section) on each camper and should have a phone and phone number assigned for emergencies. They are the contact for emergencies both from within camp (campers, group leaders, etc.) and outside of camp (parents or family trying to reach a camper). A vehicle and driver should be available in case it is necessary to transport anyone to a medical facility. IT IS ADVISABLE to get health insurance coverage on the campers. The 4-H group insurance is very affordable (a few cents per camper) and your county 4-H agent is a good resource to assist with obtaining the insurance.
  • Safety Committee - This group is responsible for making sure all demonstrations involving live animals and machinery with moving parts are roped-off . There should be at least a ten-foot barrier between children and equipment with moving parts or live animals. Movable equipment should have wheels chocked. Demonstration equipment that can be driven should be parked on level ground, have wheels chocked, brake applied, and keys removed from ignition. Verify that fire extinguishers/ alarms/ smoke detectors are in facility and workable. The safety committee should make sure that fire exits are marked and accessible and tornado/storm shelter is available. Traffic and the dangers associated with it should also be addressed by this committee (such as well-marked pathways for pedestrians and assistance crossing any streets). If there is an industry in your area, the safety engineer or director would be very helpful on this committee.
  • Evaluation Committee- This committee is responsible for determining what worked at camp and what did not work. Their information will help in planning future camps. This group can also be alert to causes of farm injury in your area through newspaper articles and word of mouth. If a particular problem or piece of equipment causes several injuries and that topic was not addressed at camp, this group may recommend including that topic in next year's camp. Evaluation forms are in the "Forms" section of the manual.
  • Goody bags/T-shirt Committee - Campers love to receive goodies and local businesses like the publicity. This group arranges for and collects the goodies. If possible, it is a reinforcing tactic to give the campers goodies that support safe behaviors such as work gloves (made for small hands), first aid kits, wide-brimmed hats. If the camp wishes to offer a T-shirt, this committee can handle getting competitive bids, the design selection for the shirt and ordering the shirts. A community coloring contest prior to camp is a good way to determine the T-shirt graphic design. Community sponsors like to have their names on the shirts!
  • Financial committee - Handles paying the expenses and receiving the registration fees (if any), as well as the sponsor donations. Expenses associated with a camp might include facility costs, T-shirts, goody bags and goodies, food for snacks or meals, printing costs (for paper, ink, brochures, programs, posters), postage, advertisement, camp insurance, pictures (film and film processing), paper products (cups, plates, napkins, toilet paper, hand towels), sunscreen and first aid kits.
  • Group Leaders Committee - Group leaders are needed to escort groups of campers. Usually one group leader for every five (5) campers is sufficient for this age group. The group leaders accompany the children to the various programs and activities and make sure, at the end of the day, the children leave with the adult who brought them to the camp. Think of the people who work with youth in your community such as the 4-H agents, Extension Service, church youth leaders, and teachers. These people all bring expertise and experience to a farm safety day camp. They know how to encourage children to follow rules that make group learning fun for everyone.
  • You may think of other committees that will be helpful for your camp or you may want to combine some of the committees, depending on your community and the wishes and talents of the volunteers.
Next, a camp needs a coordinator. The coordinator oversees the camp. This does NOT mean one person is responsible for DOING everything. It means one person knows what others are responsible for, when and where activities will occur, and how to contact the staff, camp faculty, and participants with changes. The coordinator may or may not be the person who originates the idea of a day camp in your community. The coordinator's first role may be to invite volunteers to a planning meeting. Frequently, this meeting is a good time to discover the interest areas of the volunteers, if additional recruitment may be helpful, and jointly develop a timeline (see section on A Group Plan). A couple of dates for a second meeting can be offered at the first meeting by the coordinator (or someone appointed). The second meeting may focus on giving volunteers the opportunity to discuss any problems or concerns. This is also a good time to assure that a timeline, developed by the group, has been and will be followed because most camps require a 6-8 month planning period.

A volunteer who provides clerical assistance is very valuable. Correspondence, meeting arrangements, and thank you notes require time. Usually the camp is made up of volunteers with very busy lives, so covering this base separately makes everyone's job a little easier.

In summary, the following volunteers are helpful when planning a camp:
  1. Coordinator
  2. Clerical assistance
  3. Sponsors
  4. Committee members and committee chair for the following:
Food First aid
Marketing Safety
Facility/Setup Evaluation
Cleanup Goody bags/T-shirts
Registration Finances
Audio/visual classroom Group Leaders
Faculty  

Back to Contents

Disclaimer and Reproduction Information: Information in NASD does not represent NIOSH policy. Information included in NASD appears by permission of the author and/or copyright holder. More

Reviewed for NASD: 03/2003