The presentation of the slide show in combination with the script should take about 15-minutes.
| Play It Safe: Slide Show Script | |
| Slide | Narrative |
| Slides #1, #2, & #3: 2 or 3 VT panoramas - all distant landscapes. | These beautiful rural scenes must look familiar to you. |
| Slide #4: pasture shot. | Well, that's because these scenic landscapes are taken near where you live - a playground of pastures ... |
| Slide #5: hill shot. | and hills ... |
| Slide #6: farm shot showing at least barn and pond. | and farms. You probably have a lot of fun in settings just like these. Right? Exploring barns, riding snowmobiles or ATV's, swimming in ponds, helping your family with chores or farm work ... |
| Slide #7: panorama that includes rural home. | But these scenes - and the play and work they inspire - are not always as peaceful and safe as you think they are. |
| Slide #8: panorama that includes a farm (long shot). | If you think you live away from the life-threatening dangers of the city, you're only partially right. The hazards might be different in the country, but they're just as devastating. Let's take a closer look. |
| Slide #9: farm (as much as possible visible). | What place is this? Right, a farm. How many of you live or have ever been on a farm? Raise your hands. Wow. That's (almost) all of you. Well, today you'll learn something you may have never known. There are danger spots in this picture-perfect Vermont scene. Danger spots that deserve a closer look. Here's why: |
| Slide #10: Bar graph with adjacent photo of accident victim. | Nearly 5,000 kids are seriously injured every year on farms and 300 are killed. And these are kids just your age - 10, 11, 12. In fact, on farms, kids get killed or seriously hurt more often than adults. |
| Slide #11: tractor (close up). | Here is where many accidents on the farm happen. Is this a jungle gym? (Kids: No!) Well, what is it? (Kids: tractor!) That's right. It's a working vehicle, a complicated machine that helps your family, neighbors, or friends do their job. |
| Slide #12: tractor (close up on single seat). | Look closely at this tractor. How many people do you think are meant to be on it at one time? (Kids: One.) That's right. One! |
| Slide #13: tractor with driver (in proper attire). | Here's something to remember: ONE SEAT: ONE RIDER. You may be head-over-heels in love with being the extra rider, but you'll be head-over-wheels in trouble before you know it! |
| Slide #14: "One-rider" safety/warning label. | ONE SEAT: ONE RIDER. That's the way engineers designed machines such as this one - an all-terrain vehicle or ATV. An extra passenger has no safe place to sit or stand. |
| Slide #15: grain bag falling off the back of an ATV being driven by someone in improper attire. | This spells disaster when you hit a bump or climb a steep hill - that grain sack could be you as the extra rider. |
| Slide #16: rider lawn mower showing one driver in proper attire. | You can lose your hand, foot, or even an arm or leg in a lawn mower accident. If you'd like to keep all of your limbs - and maybe even your live - what should you remember? (Kids: ONE SEAT: ONE RIDER!) Excellent: ONE SEAT: ONE RIDER. It's a rule that could save your life. |
| Slide #17: Hay/hay wagon. | Here's a trick question: How many seats can you count on this wagon? (Kids: none.) That's right. NO SEAT: NO RIDER. Falling off a hay wagon ... |
| Slide #18: pick-up truck with open gate. | or one of these ... |
| Slide #19: front-end loader. | or these can be a not-so-excellent adventure. Many kids are crushed or run over by this equipment every year. Some die and some live the rest of their lives with disabilities. |
| Slide #20: overturned farm equipment on incline. | How easily can tractors, ATV's and other heavy equipment overturn? A lot easier than you think, especially in our state - the hilly Green Mountain State. Sometimes a little incline like this can tip a tractor or ATV over. |
| Slide #21: ground covered with branches and leaves. | Sometimes a big hole is hidden by branches and leaves and can seriously injure even the most skilled driver. Sometimes, though, a driver doesn't really know what's safe and what's not. |
| Slide #22: young person on ATV with helmet, long pants, eye protection, gloves and boots. | If you do drive an ATV, make sure you understand everything. Don't be afraid to ask questions while you are being trained. A helmet protects you from lethal head injuries - this means head injuries that kill - and covering the rest of your body is just common sense. |
| Slide #23: as above but without protective gear (and with extra rider). | Do you give the kids in this picture a thumbs up or thumbs down? (Illustrate.) Let's see those thumbs. |
| Slide #24: another copy of above slide #22 featuring proper attire. | (Call on students to cover the missing items and extra rider issue.) |
| Slide #25: chuck wagon with man pointing out safety guard. | Do you know what could happen if guards and shields were left off machinery? |
| Slide #26: children around an exposed PTO (not running, of course). | Moving parts, like this power take-off shaft located at the rear of a tractor (also called a PTO) ... |
| Slide #27: chains and belts exposed. | ... or these chains and belts on this machine or other machines you find in the fields and barns cause the most devastating injuries - kids lose arms and legs and lives. |
| Slide #28: Michael Conoboy, farm accident victim who lost both arms. | On April 25, 1992, six-year-old Michael Conoboy's life changed forever in a few shattering seconds (pause). Michael got too close to the PTO driving irrigation equipment and the machinery took both his arms off. When asked during his hospital stay what he would tell other kids, Michael said, "Tell kids to stay away from machinery. It can rip your arms and legs off -- maybe even your head!" Michael's message comes from someone who learned the hard way that kids and heavy machinery don't mix. And Michael was lucky - he only lost his arms. |
| Slide #29: adult wearing protective gear (including ear) operating chain saw. | How about this picture? Thumbs up or thumbs down? (Kids: thumbs up.) Good! This worker knows how to play it safe. Also, notice his ear protection. As you probably know, chain saws, lawn mowers, wood splitters and other machines are all very noisy. Doctors now know that hearing loss starts at a young age. If you or your parents are around noisy equipment, you should protect your hearing and ask them to protect theirs. |
| Slide #30: close up of simple ear plugs. | These small plugs cost little, and you can still hear others talk while you're wearing them because they block out only the most damaging noise levels. Later, we'll hand out some ear plugs for you to take home. |
| Slide #31: adult driving a farm vehicle. | Because your parents are often busy when they're working outside, they might forget where you are. Believe it or not - kids occasionally get run over by unsuspecting parents who simply didn't see them. |
| Slide #32: Sketch of kids waving to parent on tractor. | So be sure to tell your parents where you are. |
| Slide #33: man with 2 young children. | And be especially concerned about your younger brothers and sisters who, as you know, get easily absorbed in play so that they don't see what's happening around them. |
| Slide #34: older child (11 or 12 year-old) guiding 4 or 5 year-old away from equipment. | If you don't stay alert, someone could really get hurt. |
| Slide #35: holsteins in field. | Now here's a familiar scene. Cows always look so calm and gentle. But if you go inside their fence, you may not see that bull just over the rise. |
| Slide #36: bull close up. | A bull or sow can quickly become hostile, so it's best to stay outside fenced-in fields - even those that appear to have no livestock. |
| Slide #37: calf. | This sweet, tiny calf looks like it would be nice to pet. But the nearby mother cow doesn't agree. She could seriously hurt you because, like all mother animals, she has a strong instinct to protect her baby. Remember: Farm animals are not pets. |
| Slide #38: electric fence. | These electric fences are meant to shock farm animals who try to stray - not kids like you who want to play. Being shocked is no fun, so don't be tempted to cross fences that look like this ... |
| Slide #39: barbed wire. | ... or this. In the country, there are lots of places to cut yourself. Whether it's barbed wire like this or rusty nails or soiled equipment, the object that cut, scraped or bruised you is probably dirty. |
| Slide #40: Hand with band-aid or bandages in working setting. | An injury that isn't properly cleaned and covered, even if it's small, creates a huge risk of infection. Infected wounds take a long time to heal and could lead to complications. |
| Slide #41: first-aid kit. | After this show, you'll be given a first aid guide and checklist to take home and share with your parents. Everyone needs a well-stocked first aid kit. |
| Slide #42: neat yard/farm yard with warning sticker in view. | Most minor injuries, like cuts and bruises happen because of carelessness. A sloppy yard is a hazardous yard. A neat yard should look like this. |
| Slide #43: close up of rakes, ladders and tools hung out of reach. | An in this tidy storage area, the shovels, rakes and other tools are properly maintained and put away ... |
| Slide #44: close up of label for chemical storage area. | And chemicals are labeled and locked away. |
| Slide #45: tractor tire leaning against tree. | How about this picture? Thumbs up or thumbs down? (Kids: thumbs down.) Good. What would happen if you or a small child climbed around on a big tire leaning against a tree or a wall? Right. It could crush you. |
| Slide #46: ladder with missing rung. | And the other hazards - a missing rung on a ladder ... |
| Slide #47: broken beam. | ... a broken beam or other improperly maintained structures and tools - only increase the chances of an accident. |
| Slide #48: inside dairy barn. | Like in here. This milk room in a dairy barn, like all such areas, contains an industrial-strength chemical that looks like fresh, clean, cold water, or maybe even fruit punch. |
| Slide #49 and Slide 50: dairy pipe cleaner/"hot stuff". | If swallowed, however, it's so corrosive that your mouth starts to blister and bleed almost immediately. When it gets to your stomach, you could die. One boy, who was visiting his grandfather's farm, lived after swallowing caustic dairy pipe cleaner. But only after his fifteenth surgery, which reconstructed his esophagus. |
| Slide #51: chemicals and pesticides in a cabinet or special area with door open. | Chemicals and pesticides should have a private place - all to themselves. |
| Slide #52: close up of Mr. Yuk sticker. | And they should be clearly marked with stickers such as Mr. YUK. If you see cleaners and other poisons like these around your home, let your parents know. |
| Slide #53: chemicals and pesticides in same cabinet or special area with door closed and locked. | They should be locked up! |
| Slide #54: farm worker in safety attire handling chemicals/pesticides. | Adults who work with concentrated chemicals or pesticides wear attire like this. Unless you're dressed like this too, stay away! Not only do chemicals burn, but simple contact with your skin can cause poisoning, and inhaling their fumes can lead to brain damage. |
| Slide #55: pastoral farm scene. | I bet you never thought these peaceful, rural scenes could contain so many hazards. But then, injuries and deaths are always unexpected. |
| Slide #56: farm pond. | Plus -- we didn't cover all of them, like the dangers of farm ponds ... |
| Slide #57: silos. | ... and silos ... |
| Slide #58: kids on bicycles (with proper gear). | ... of riding skateboards and bicycles ... |
| Slide #59: boy climbing tree. | ... and of climbing trees and hay lofts. |
| Slide #60: kids with adult pointing to danger area on equipment. | So the best tactic is to tour your farm or home and garden with your parents and point out dangerous areas together. Later, we'll be handing out a guide which will help you do this. |
| Slide #61: kids playing softball. | Remember: more than half of all rural accidents happen to kids - young people just like you. So live to play another day - by playing it the safe way! |
This document is produced by the University of Vermont Extension System Farm Safety Program. RR1 Box 2280, Morrisville, Vermont 05661. Phone: (802) 888-4972. Fax: (802) 888-2432.
Disclaimer and Reproduction Information: Information in NASD does not represent NIOSH policy. Information included in NASD appears by permission of the author and/or copyright holder. More
