What you need to know

• Farms contain many drowning hazards, such as dams, troughs, irrigation channels, water tanks, rivers and lakes
• Easy access to water and a lack of direct adult supervision by parents or carers are the main factors in child drowning deaths on farms
• Active supervision should be a priority at all farm locations
• Child safe play areas are effective for restricting a child’s access to water which cannot be fenced
• Keep Watch@The Farm is aimed at preventing children aged 0 to 4 years from drowning by getting parents and carers to undertake four simple actions: Supervise, Restrict Access, Water Awareness and Resuscitate

How to stay safe

• Always supervise children around water
• Ensure child safe play areas are securely fenced and regularly maintained
• Ensure the gate is self-closing and self-latching and never prop it open
• Children must be supervised at all times while in a child safe play area, they are not designed to replace active parental supervision
• Fill in any unused holes where water can gather such as ditches, dips and postholes
• Cover any water storage locations such as wells and tanks

Real-life story

A family is grieving after their toddler son drowned in a dam on their family farm. The couple’s only son drowned when he wandered off from the main house and walked a kilometre to get to the dam. The father found his son, 2 hours later in the dam and dragged him to shore before starting CPR. Ambulance officers were called but the boy was unable to be resuscitated. This tragic case highlights the importance of supervision and secure Child Safe Play Areas on farms to prevent children wandering off, and terrible tragedies such as this, from occurring.

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