BASF Agricultural Solutions Canada (BASF) and the Canadian Agriculture Safety Association (CASA) have announced the digital expansion of farm safety resources for children.
BASF has supported Safety Days for children in Canada for the last four years – a program that promotes farm education and safety for Canadian youth. With COVID-19 presenting new challenges, BASF and CASA have launched a new online platform to provide families with information, interactive resources and activities on farm safety.
“As we embark on the fifth year of our partnership with CASA, we are facing a new and unprecedented reality with COVID-19. We want to ensure we keep safety at the forefront,” said Wayne Barton, Manager of Research and Commercial Development, BASF Agricultural Solutions Canada. “With children at home due to indefinite school closures, we recognize that more kids will be involved in activities on the farm, while, at the same time, they won’t have the ability to participate in the typical in-person Safety Days that have occurred in previous years. Our new tool ensures children, parents and teachers still have access to the valuable farm safety information.”
Drownings and machine runovers and rollovers are the leading causes of farm-related injuries in children – with approximately five children lost to these injuries in Canada every year. Safety Days was established by the Progressive Agriculture Foundation (PAF) in 1995 to proactively teach children how to be safe on farms and prevent incidents before they occur. Since 2002, CASA in partnership with PAF, has welcomed more than 157,000 youth to 936 Safety Day events across the country. Customized to accommodate local farm needs, in-person Safety Days feature interactive stations on topics like sun safety, recognizing and avoiding chemical exposure and safe animal handling.
Many Safety Day events, which are typically held April through June, have been cancelled or postponed due to physical distancing as a result of COVID-19. The new online hub provides users with informative and engaging content. The family-friendly website is home to farm safety information and resources, colouring sheets, a grain safety game and video series on safety and health-related activities and demonstrations.
“The need to provide families with educational yet engaging content has never been more important,” said Marcel Hacault, Executive Director, Canadian Agricultural Safety Association. “Since many are unable to attend a Safety Day this spring, we want to bring farm safety information and resources to them. Our long-standing partnership with BASF enables us to reach rural communities across Canada, ensuring farm families continue to thrive and stay safe during these challenging times.”
Click here to see more...