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Gearing Up for Safety – Production Agriculture Safety Training for Youth

  • Edward J Sheldon
  • April 14, 2020

The Gearing-Up-4-Safety curriculum helps youth aged 14-19 meet federal training requirements for agricultural employment. Presented by Purdue University’s Department of Agricultural Sciences Education and Communication, the curriculum includes 15 PowerPoint presentations with instructor notes, case studies, a glossary and student activity sheets.  The materials are available for free access at www.agsafety4youth.info.

School closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in agricultural educators across the country adapting to online instruction and searching for appropriate teaching materials.  This curriculum can provide teachers a pre-packaged set of agricultural safety lessons that are well-suited to online instruction.

Likewise, youth who live on family farms will likely be spending more time working on the farm with this unexpected break from school, possibly placing them at risk of injury.  Or, farm owners may be considering hiring neighborhood youth to assist with farm tasks.  The Gearing Up materials can be used to help familiarize youth family members or employees with farm workplace safety.

Program Leader’s Curriculum Includes:

  • Suggested teaching aids to be assembled prior to teaching the lessons.
  • A list of the core competencies that each student should master.
  • Lesson content outlines that include supplemental background information.
  • Activity worksheets designed for use during classroom discussion.
  • Selected review questions.
  • 15 interactive and engaging PowerPoint presentations.
  • Hands-on testing procedures
  • A collection of more than 75 farm injury case studies that can be used for classroom discussion.

Lessons include:

  1. General Farm and Ranch Safety Overview
  2. Tractor Component Basics
  3. Tractor Pre-Operational Procedures
  4. Tractor Operation Basics
  5. Tractor-Powered Implements
  6. Self-Propelled Agricultural Equipment
  7. Operating Agricultural Equipment on Public Roads
  8. Repairing Agricultural Equipment
  9. ATV & Utility Vehicle Safety Operation
  10. Skid Steer Loader, Telehandler and Forklift Operation
  11. Confined Spaces in Agriculture
  12. Grain Storage and Handling Facilities
  13. Working with Animals (still in development)
  14. General Farm and Ranch Hazards
  15. First-Aid & Emergency Response

NOTE:  The www.agsafety4youth.info website is still under development.  The lesson PowerPoints, instructor notes, student activity pages, and lesson competencies are all currently available for your use.  Supplemental materials are being added to the site daily. For more information, please contact agsafety4youth@lists.purdue.edu.

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