Victorian Agriculture Minister Mary-Anne Thomas has launched the second annual Kidsafe Victoria Farm Safety Creative Competition, which encourages children to think about solutions to farm safety issues.
The theme for this year’s competition ‘Think Farm Safe, Be Farm Safe,’ is about teaching children to stop and think about the potential injury risks on farms and to ensure that safety is always front of mind in the farm environment.
The winning entries will feature in a state-wide farm safety education campaign designed to increase farm safety awareness among Victorian parents and carers.
According to the Victorian Injury Surveillance Unit, children under 15 in Victoria’s outer regional areas are four times more likely to die due to injury than children in major cities.
In 2019-20, almost 400 Victorian children under 15 were treated in hospital as a result of an injury on farm.
Common injury hazards for children on farms include vehicles such as quad bikes, motorbikes and tractors, accidents involving animals, water hazards, machinery and poisoning.
For information on the Kidsafe Victoria’s Farm Safety Creative Competition and other learning resources, visit www.kidsafevic.com.au Entries are open until November 5, 2021.