Dams and waterways are part of life on the farm, but they are also the most common place of drownings for toddlers.By Kath Gannaway
THE natural curiosity of children and the urge to explore their surroundings can set the stage for tragedy when a farm dam or other waterway is within reach.
It may not be practical to put a fence around a farm dam in the same way in which back yard pools are fenced, but with drowning identified as the leading cause of death on farms, and very young children most at risk, a safe play area is an essential deterrent.
Anne Monichon of the Shire of Yarra Ranges Best Start program says parents are heading into a risky time of the year, not only for drownings on farm properties, but for other injuries as well.
“Parents and carers are not able to be eagle-eyed all the time,” she said, adding there was also a need to be conscious of which stage a a child was at developmentally.
“Younger children need a fenced place where they will be safe, but for older children it is important to have out-of-bound rules,” Ms Monichon said. She said the greatest risk for children from babies up to four years of age was drowning – most commonly in dams but also in pools, rivers, and even water troughs.
“For older children the risks are more around working farm machinery and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs),” she said. “School holidays are the most risky period when families are busy and perhaps tired, and adults are preoccupied doing other things.
“It’s also a time when families have visitors whose children don’t know about the rules and the importance of staying within fences.”
Some risk factors, apart from access to dams, identified in a report on dam drownings released by the State Coroner’s Office in 2002 included children following an animal or pet to the dam, steep slopes and the lack of a safe play area.
Commonly in the case of drownings the dam was within 600 metres of the toddler and there were insufficient barriers keeping the two apart. The report also found carers had a lower risk appreciation of static waterways, rural water hazards and containers and therefore a lower supervision level.
Making adults aware of just how quickly toddlers, particularly one to three-year-olds, can get into danger was one of the recommendations made, but keeping children and dams apart was seen as a vital deterrent.
Fencing a safe play area close to the house where children can be seen could save a little life – and a lifetime of regret.
