THE importance of farm safety has been outlined to new students at the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE), Greenmount Campus.
Just last week the college hosted a farm safety training course for all first year full-time further education Agriculture and Land based Engineering students. It is hoped the messages instilled will be carried forward by the future of the industry.
The farm safety course is a key component of the induction programme for the students and features four CSI themed farm accident scenes that cover Transport – ATV / quad bikes, machinery – PTO and livestock – crushing and working with slurry. On completion students receive a certificate based on assessment of course participation and the results of a short review exercise.
Stepping out of the classroom, the students attended recreated accident scenes on the college’s working farm to better replicate real life situations. While at the farm the students needed to work out what happened at each scene, discuss what immediate action was to be taken, what first aid was needed and what measures should be taken to prevent the accident happening in the future.
Dr Stephen Graham from CAFRE said: “Young people are such an important target group for this farm safety message as they are the future of the industry. It is vital for us to emphasise the importance the college places on farm safety and for our students to face scenarios they could come across back home on their own farms or in their future workplaces.”
CAFRE offers a range of further and higher education courses aimed at those seeking a career in the agri-food industry. Details of all courses can be found at www.cafre.ac.uk.
