Prevention of injuries include retro-fitting older tractors with ROPS, not operating 
tractors without ROPS unless on level ground if they cannot be retro-fitted, repair 
and replace PTO shields and rotating shaft guards, and not stepping over moving parts 
without first disengaging them. 

Children are a sensitive population. Nationally, approximately 100 deaths in children 
related to agriculture occur annually.  In 2001 there were at least four deaths that 
occurred in Minnesota.  These involved suffocation in grain, two tractor related 
deaths, and one drowning in a pond. The actual number of injuries are unknown.  
Childcare can be difficult in rural areas and small children may accompany their 
parents during the course of work.  Dangerous activities include riding on tractors or 
other agricultural heavy equipment as passengers, operating equipment beyond their 
physical or emotional maturational level, and not having a safe play area.  Hazards 
include drowning in manure storage lagoons or pits, injuries from animals, suffocation 
in stored grain, and accidental poisonings from agricultural chemicals.  

The National Rural Injury Prevention Center has developed guidelines, North American 
Guidelines for Agricultural Tasks,  for parents listing agricultural work practices that 
are age-appropriate.  Further information on children's agricultural and rural safety
is also available at the National Children's Center for Agricultural Health and Safety 
website.  Many agricultural tasks are considered Hazardous Practices for children 
under 16 employed on farms under the Federal Fair labor Standards Child Labor Act.  
Since the farm is considered a workplace for the entire family, appropriate childcare 
and maintaining a safe play area separated from hazardous exposures is critical.