 Nearly 50 children have died in farming accidents in the last decade |
Farmers in the South West are being encouraged to do more to improve safety on the farm. The agricultural sector has one of the worst fatal accident records of any industry.
Raising awareness of the dangers to children on a farm is a particular aim of a safety awareness seminar taking place in Cornwall on Friday.
More than 300 of the region's farmers will attend the event being held by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) at the Duchy College in Camborne.
Over the last decade nearly 50 children have been killed in farming accidents across the country.
Farm accidents
The dangers to children include seemingly harmless items such as hay bales, as well as the more obvious problems posed by chemicals, pesticides, drowning and machinery.
No children were killed in the South West in 2002, although the exact number of accidents is unknown.
But adults are not immune to farm accidents either.
Four farmers died in farm accidents in the South West last year - two of whom were self-employed - out of a nationwide total of 20.
The HSE says the event in Cornwall is aimed at preventing any further accidents in the future.
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