STAR OF CHILDREN'S BBC PRESENTS PRIZES TO HSE WINNERS

HSE press release: E140:03 - 22 July 2003

From thousands of entries, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) today announced the Welsh winners of the children's farm safety poster competition.

Part of HSE's ongoing child safety campaign, the competition was open to children in rural primary schools throughout Wales. Pupils were encouraged to design a poster highlighting the dangers that they may face on a farm.

Mark Speight of the Children's BBC art programme 'SMart' presented the prizes to the talented youngsters and said: "This competition is an excellent idea. Not only has it inspired children to produce some brilliant artistic posters but it has also helped them to learn that farms can be dangerous places and that they need to be aware and stay safe."

The winning entry in the four to seven year old age category was Lucy Evans who designed an excellent poster showing a wide variety of farm safety issues. The overall winner in the eight to eleven age category was Nia Angharad Morris who designed a bright 'Be safe. Be seen' transport safety poster with a poem to go with it.

The six winners of the competition were awarded their prizes in a ceremony in the HSE child safety marquee at the Royal Welsh Show, Builth Wells. Prizes included computers for the schools of the two first prize winners, book tokens for the runner up schools and personal prizes for all of the winning children.

Linda Williams, HM Chief Inspector of Agriculture said: "Children are tragically killed and injured on farms every year and this is of great concern to the Health and Safety Executive. The poster competition has been introduced to help educate and inform children of the dangers that exist on the farm and to help them to realise that farms are not playgrounds.

"This is the third year of the competition and it seems to be going from strength to strength. We have been inundated with entries and the standard of all the posters has been fantastic. We feel that the competition is fulfilling its aim of raising awareness of the importance of farm safety to children as well as also highlighting safety issues within rural communities."

Other campaign initiatives include a new agricultural child safety video called 'Safe! - helping children to stay safe on farms' which has been produced to teach children about the dangers farms hold. The video follows Tanya, Josh and Alex around a farm as they point out all the hazards and explain how simple things can cause accidents. The video is aimed at a primary school audience has also been supported by the launch of a revised version of Stay Safe on the farm. There is also an advertising campaign in the farming press running throughout the school summer holidays.

Notes to editors

Child fatalities and accidents from 1992/93 to 2001/02

• Forty two children (under 16 years of age) were killed in the past ten years, four of them whilst working in some form of employment. Thirty-eight were members of the public.
  
• 59% of fatal accidents to members of the public were children.
  
• Being struck by a moving vehicle was the single largest cause of death to children (15 fatalities). Other major causes include asphyxiation or drowning (9 deaths). Three deaths (each) were caused by: contact with moving machinery; struck by a moving, flying or falling object and contact with electricity or an electrical discharge.
  
• Children between 1 and 5 years old were most at risk: 21 children (55%) were in this age group. Nine children were aged between 6 and 10 ten years and the remaining 8 were aged between 11 and 15 years.

395 children suffered a major injury accident (1992/93 - 2001/02) as defined in the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR).

The winners

Four years old to seven years old

• First prize winner: Lucy Evans aged 6, Ysgol Ceinewydd, Maes yr Ysgol, Ceinewydd, Ceredigion
  
• Second prize winner: Tesni Clare, aged 5, Ysgol Ceinewydd, Maes yr Ysgol, Ceinewydd, Ceredigion
  
• Third prize winner: Alice Connell, aged 7, Ysgol Gynradd Gorslas, Heol y llew Du, Gorslas, Llanelli

Eight years old to eleven years old

• First prize winner: Nia Angharad Morris, aged 9, Ysgol Iau, Abegwaun
  
• Second prize winner: Chemis Isaac, aged 9, Ysgol Gynradd Dihewyd, Dihewyd, Llanbedr Pont Steffan, Ceredigion
  
• Third prize winner: Crystal Burt, aged 10, Ysgol Maesydre, Hawell Drive, Severn Street, Welshpool, Powys

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