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North American Guidelines for Children's Agricultural Tasks
Children living in rural areas, on farms, face unique injury risks. Safety initiatives have focused on issues that are largely experienced in urban settings, however, rural environments also pose serious injury risks for children.
With some 115 deaths each year (all ages), agriculture is one of Canada's most dangerous occupations, one governed almost entirely by voluntary workplace standards. Children live in this workplace, one that is often characterized by heavy equipment, huge vehicles, large animals and unpredictable work demands on their parents. National data from the Canadian Agriculture Injury Surveillance Project based at Queen's University shows that children are among the highest risk groups for farm injuries.
North American Guidelines for Children's Agricultural Tasks (NAGCAT) is a project to help farm families engage their children safely in farming life.
- Recognizes that work is an integral and highly valued part of family farm culture.
- Research showed that farm parents often overestimate what task children can safely handle and that many parents would welcome detailed guidelines from safety and child development specialists.
- Led by the National Farm Medicine Center in Wisconsin, an expert panel from Canada, the United States and Mexico spent several years developing the first set of seven guideline packages.
- Guidelines are not intended to be legislated or otherwise imposed on parents; rather they are intended as an educational tool, a safety resource.
- 62 guidelines in all, organized into seven colourful booklets that have been focus-tested with farm families for reading level and usefulness.
- Cover such areas as animal care, manual labour and haying operations.
- Each package covers:
- Adult responsibilities in assigning children this job
- Can your child do this job? (developmental checklist)
- Illustrations of main hazards
- Supervision levels recommended for different age group
Download copies of the following six Guidelines (pdf format)
Tractor Fundamentals | Animal Care |
Haying Operations | Implement Operations |
General Activities | Manual Labour |
PDF versions of NAGCAT have been generously provided by Manitoba Department of Labour and Immigration. Distribution rights for the North American Guidelines for Children's Agricultural Tasks in Canada were obtained by The Workplace Safety and Health Division of the Manitoba Department of Labour and Immigration and the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba.
If you are unable to download the PDF files of the NAGCAT, order print copies of North American guidelines for children's agricultural tasks .
