Children must be supervised whenever in, on, or around water on farms. A child safe play area can assist parents in being able to supervise children but they are not designed to replace active supervision.
The child safe play area must be securely fenced and regularly maintained to ensure it is a safe space for children. It should be placed close to the home or inside the home.
Child safe play areas also need to be regularly maintained to ensure they are in good working order. The gate to the child safe play area should be self-closing and self-latching and should never be propped open under any circumstances.
Fill in any unused holes where water can gather such as ditches, dips and postholes. Water storage such as wells and tanks should be securely covered.
Place a Keep Watch@The Farm ‘Please Close the Gate’ sign on the child safe play area to remind people to close the gate. The gate should be self-closing and self-latching and never be propped open.
Related links and resources
- A ten year national review of lake, dam and lagoon drowning deaths: 2008/2009 to 2017/2018
Other links
- Keep Watch campaign page
- Child safe play areas
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