Oklahoma AgrAbility Newsletter
Spring 2007 • Volume 6 • Issue 2
Safe Play Matters on the Farm and Ranch
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NOTE: Mention or display of a trademark, proprietary product or firm in text or figures does not constitute an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Oklahoma State University, Langston University or the National AgrAbility Project and does not imply approval to the exclusion of other suitable products or firms.
In This Issue
Safe Play Matters on the Farm and Ranch
Strategies for Safe and Accessible Play
Planning and Preparing Play Areas
Want to Start a Public Playground Project?
AgrAbility Working for State Recognition
Safe Play Matters on the Farm and Ranch
About 10 percent of children in the United States have a disability that prevents them from enjoying play opportunities with family members and peers, although play is an important part of childhood for every child, regardless of ability.
Play helps develop physical, emotional, sensory and intellectual capacities, as well as imagination and social skills.
Children learn best when they are allowed self-direction in exploring and engaging in the play environment, as well as interaction with peers and family members. If children with disabilities are disadvantaged in their abilities to develop through play, they are more likely to be disadvantaged as adults entering the workforce.
Play also has a role in developing a child's sense of connection to agriculture and family. What childhood would be complete without toys that teach about caring for animals or working with agricultural machinery and tools?
However, farms and ranches are industrial worksites, not playgrounds. More than 100 children are killed and more than 32,000 children are seriously injured annually on the 2.13 million U.S. farms.
Most children neither recognize the inherent dangers of machinery, chemicals, livestock, ponds, ditches and confined storage spaces nor remember rules intended to keep them safe around common worksite hazards. In addition, agricultural worksites are dynamic, and changing circumstances often create a need for new safety rules.
To keep children of all abilities safe around agricultural worksites, safe play areas can be created. Safe play areas provide locations where children can participate in a variety of activities away from hazards. Addressing accessibility needs when creating play areas also ensures all family members and friends, including children, parents and grandparents with disabilities, can benefit from interaction during play.
Strategies for Safe and Accessible Play
Safe, accessible play areas on farms and ranches should be thoughtfully designed, but creating a play area should be fun - so try turning designing a play area into a family activity or service project for clubs.
Many sources provide suggestions for creating safe play areas, but the first step always should be to create ways to limit access and exposure to hazards. The primary hazards to consider include traffic, agricultural production and environmental concerns. Exposure to these hazards often can be limited by the location of the play area or a barrier used to separate the play area from the rest of the farm or ranch.
Once a site that limits access to hazards is selected, child development principles and safety guidelines can be used to craft activities and play equipment for the play area. Including manufactured play equipment and items from the natural environment provides a variety of ways a child can play and can help maintain a child's interest in the play area.
Safe play should include:
• Competent supervision
• Changing play opportunities as children grow and develop
• Safety rules for all children
• Consequences for breaking safety rules
Safe, accessible play areas should be:
• Connected to the home by a 60-inch wide hard-surface path, such as concrete, synthetic lumber or compacted crushed gravel
• Connected by 60-inch wide paths between each play element that are free from obstructions, have 1/2-inch or smaller transitions between surfaces and use beveling or rounding of edges to minimize contact injuries
• Designated by boundaries or physical barriers such as fences, gates or shrubs
• Away from hazards such as vehicle traffic, machinery or unstable structures
• Away from loud noises
• Free from open water
• Adequately shaded from sun
• Adequately sheltered from wind, dust or hazardous airborne particles
• Protected with a strong barrier separating children from farm animals
• Within sight and sound of a responsible adult
• Close to drinking water, first aid, hand washing and toilet facilities
• Small or large enough to match the amount of space needed to play safely
• Easily and regularly maintained with grass mowed and snow removed
• Where there is minimal risk of snakes, fire ants or other "critters" that interrupt play or pose a health hazard
Safe, accessible play equipment should be:
• Appropriate for the ages of children who are using it
• Spaced with other pieces of equipment to minimize risk of injury
• Free from entrapment hazards - spaces greater than 3 ½ inches but less than 9 inches - that can prevent withdrawal of a child's body or head
• Without bolt ends, edges or other protrusions extending beyond 1/8 inch, which can catch strings or clothing worn around a child's neck or cause skin injury
• Reachable using steps that are at least 24 inches wide, 14 inches deep and 8 inches high
• Accessible by wheelchair, with platforms large enough to turn; platforms should be at least 24 inches wide, 14 inches deep and 11-18 inches high
• Absent of lead-based paint, creosote and wood treatment
• Devoid of pinch, crush, shearing and sharp-edge hazards that could cut skin or crush a body part
• Surfaced with appropriate ground material that is accessible and maintained at an appropriate depth to cushion a fall; loose materials are not as accessible as rubber or geotextile mats
• Surrounded by a use zone that includes appropriate ground surfacing with a border and multiple accessible entry points
• Smooth to avoid wood or metal slivers
• Constructed of materials that do not absorb excessive heat from sun
• Securely anchored to prevent overturns
• Played with as intended
• Well maintained by an adult
Additional accessibility concerns include:
• Can play features be approached using a wheelchair, crutches or a walker?
• Can children transfer to equipment or activity areas by pulling next to the equipment or area? Crawling onto or into it? Laying over it? Are hand holds provided to assist with transitions?
• Is equipment exited near where children left their mobility devices?
• Can children access the same play areas and gathering places as siblings or other peers? Are ramps, bridges or berms available to assist with access? Is the tallest point of the play area accessible to all children?
• Are pathways to natural materials that can be gathered for play provided?
• Are tables or other raised surfaces at multiple heights and accessible from the ground or a wheelchair?
• Are doorways and gates wide enough for wheelchairs and walkers?
Planning and Preparing Play Areas
Six easy steps to creating a safe play area:
1. Locate a site to be developed into a safe play area. The location should provide maximum play options with minimum exposure to hazards.
2. Sketch the ideal play area for that site. Consider ways to promote fantasy, manipulative, swinging, climbing and riding activities. Plan for modifications in play activities as children grow.
3. Determine materials needed. Create or buy materials for different activities.
4. Build the play area. Older children can assist if supervised.
5. Use the play area. Explain safety rules, and post signs. Think about immediate modifications and future changes based on how the area gets used.
6. Maintain and improve the safe play area. Develop a routine maintenance plan that includes keeping grass mowed, checking equipment for loose or broken parts and reviewing safety rules for visitors. Make improvements and modifications as children outgrow play equipment and materials.
Routine maintenance should include:
• Cutting grass and removing snow
• Raking and replacing ground cover
• Checking for hazards
• Sealing, staining or painting wooden structures to prevent deterioration
• Applying anti-rust treatment to metal
• Replacing plastic equipment that shows cracks
• Regularly replacing sand and water to avoid contamination
• Modifying play areas as children grow and require greater challenges
Play Area Design Example (Creating Safe Play Areas on Farms, Marshfield Clinic
Want to Start a Public Playground Project?
After reading this issue, perhaps you will be an inspired to start a public accessible playground project in your rural Oklahoma community, but you may not know how to get things started.
The National Center for Boundless Playgrounds already has given some consideration to start-up projects and has several free resources to assist communities in planning and carrying out playground projects.
The center recommends putting together a committee willing to dedicate two to three years of work and designating a project coordinator with strong leadership abilities and experience working with volunteers.
The committee will have many duties, including locating a site with favorable characteristics, fundraising and budgeting, negotiation with public officials, learning and following ADA guidelines for playgrounds, purchasing equipment and hiring professional construction services.
For more information contact:
Boundless Playgrounds
45 Wintonbury Ave.
Bloomfield, CT 06002
(860) 243-8315
Fax: (860) 243-5854
www.boundlessplaygrounds.org
Additional resources are available from the sources listed on page 1 for planning safe and accessible play areas at a reasonable cost and without requiring special equipment or materials.
Carla Wilhite, AgrAbility Program Specialist
AgrAbility Working for State Recognition
Legislation supporting Oklahoma agricultural workers with disabilities was approved by the Oklahoma Legislature with bipartisan support and now awaits a second vote in the House of Representatives.
The bill, by Oklahoma AgrAbility client and state Rep. John Enns and state Sen. Patrick Anderson was approved by the House of Representatives in March and by the Senate in April. Due to changes by the Senate in the language of the bill, it must return to the House for a second vote before being sent to the governor for consideration.
The bill creates a state program as part of the existing Oklahoma AgrAbility Project to increase services, when funding is available, offered to more than 15,000 Oklahomans with permanent disabilities who work in agriculture.
The Oklahoma AgrAbility Project provides informational, referral, educational and technical assistance regarding worksite and equipment accommodations for people with disabilities. Services are provided through a partnership among the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, Oklahoma ABLE Tech and Langston University Outreach in cooperation with other state agencies.
Donald Jantz, a farmer from Grady County, received services from AgrAbility and the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services to obtain a tractor lift, which allows him to enter and exit the cab of his tractor with minimal help.
"I'm just glad that I will get to keep farming with this equipment, and I am able to give it another try," Jantz said. "If it wasn't for this equipment or other outside help, then I would have had to quit farming. I just couldn't do it."
The Oklahoma AgrAbility Project thanks Rep. John Enns and Sen. Patrick Anderson for their support in working toward state recognition of the Oklahoma AgrAbility Project.
AgrAbility Earns Award
A relationship that began in 2002 has blossomed into a healthy partnership for the Oklahoma AgrAbility Project, AgrAbility clients and the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services.
Oklahoma AgrAbility received the DRS Community Partner of the Year Award in April. The award honors organizations that collaborate with DRS to provide services to people with disabilities.
Nearly $125,000 in funding for assistive technology and services has been provided by DRS for Oklahoma AgrAbility clients since 2002. In addition, AgrAbility and DRS cooperate to provide educational programs focused on enhancing the competencies of agricultural professionals, health care providers, vocational counselors and other service providers in providing assistance to people with disabilities who are involved in agriculture.
Oklahoma AgrAbility and DRS recently renewed their partnership agreement, ensuring that the two agencies will continue to work together to benefit Oklahomans with disabilities and agriculture.
This newsletter was supported in part by USDA-CSREES grant award number 2006-41590-03434.