A simple safety question?

[woodlandfarms]

I have spent the past few hours looking at statistics, what causes under 18 fatalities. Clearly, cars kill. Most mechanical related fatalities are automotive. Farm activity is quite high, but prevalent mechanical death seems to be either in operation or in being run over (not falling out of a bucket). I could not find any statistic on fatalites due to hydraulic failure in either adult or children, and I wonder how many actually happen (Lines blow on loader and it collapses causing injury / death).

I am not passing judgment on whether to let kids ride or not in the bucket (I would tend to say no, but I ride in it all the time and use it as a work platform). But I ask all those who are adamant about not letting kids ride in the bucket if they let their kids swim, drive in the car, ride a quad or motorcycle? Statistics, when laid out in hard numbers, not percentages, clearly indicate that your kid has a much higher chance of dying in an innocuous sort of manner, one that you may allow your child to do without any compunction, than to die while riding in the bucket of a tractor.

Like I said, I am not weighing in on the merits, I am just wondering what sensational value this specific subject has when there are other, greater risks no one seems to care to address.

 

[sld]

But I ask all those who are adamant about not letting kids ride in the bucket if they let their kids swim, drive in the car, ride a quad or motorcycle? Statistics, when laid out in hard numbers, not percentages, clearly indicate that your kid has a much higher chance of dying in an innocuous sort of manner, one that you may allow your child to do without any compunction, than to die while riding in the bucket of a tractor.

That is not very good logic. That is like comparing a bucket accident to kids that have been killed by shooting bullets straight up and coming back down and hitting them in the head. The reason you can't find statistics for it is because most people have the sense not to do it.

I won't judge anyone, but I know my "standards" for risk sure changed when I had my kids. The stuff I did must've given my parents a fit! When you look at the risk / benefit, why would you let them ride in the bucket? What is the benefit when compared to the terrible risk?

 

[woodlandfarms]

When you look at the risk / benefit, why would you let them ride in the bucket? What is the benefit when compared to the terrible risk?

I am not upset so take this with ease. I am not sure how you can say there is no logic. Hard numbers don't lie.

OK, so the benefit of taking your kid in a car out weighs the risk. But lets talk swimming (A close #2 in fatalities). What are the benefits of taking a kid swimming when the kid could get the same excercise from jogging or playing basketball? How about a quad, bike or skateboard? I might see a certain sense of freedom you are giving the kid, but why not just walk like we did before these items existed? Also, high on farm fatality list is livestock.

I live in a city where media sendationalizes everything. If you took all the warning they give every night I would be a dead man before I got out the door. So, letting your kid ride in a bucket. I have been unable to find one fatality this year, and not one for last year due to this (very unofficial google search) but I found hundreds of drownings, quad accidents and so on. As for farm accidents, it was kids getting run over and then livestock that seemed to be the big issue.

 

[jk96]

I have been unable to find one fatality this year, and not one for last year due to this (very unofficial google search) but I found hundreds of drownings, quad accidents and so on.

I remember reading about this last year.

Girls get run over by Skid Steer - Heavy Equipment Forums

The problem is we all think "it can't happen to us". I took my kids riding in my tractor this spring. Tractor has a cab with locking doors. I wasn't doing loader work, just putting around on our flat yard. What can happen right?

We were driving up to a line of walnut trees to check on the food in the squirrel feeder my kids and I put up. As we got close to the trees I let off the pedal and the tractor never slowed down. The hydro pedals are split for forward and reverse. When you press the forward pedal the reverse pedal moves in the opposite direction. My son's foot got in front of the reverse pedal, preventing it from moving back to the neutral position when I let my foot up. I dang near ran into a 30" walnut tree before I got to the key to kill the engine.

Things can happen in a flash, which is why kids and machinery usually don't mix well IMO.

 

[carpenter383]

Lets take it one step more,has anyone had someone lift them up in the bucket to do some work?I think most of us has done some work out of the bucket instead of getting a ladder.coobie

Yes! I have used an extention ladder with the feet inside my bucket to gain more height. I used a step ladder to get on the bucket.....That is far from some of the most dangerous things I've done though.....ANYTHING is potentionally dangerous how about roller coasters, air planes, going caving, scuba diving, parachuting, snake handling, any form of racing, etc..... Some people would say that walking your dog should only be done with the proper training and saftey precautions. It just depends on ones' definition of "safe"

 

[jk96]

Not involving buckets but I'm sure many of them thought thier actions were safe as well.

http://www.childagsafety.org/files/Farm_Accidents.pdf

 

[Duffster]

Lets take it one step more,has anyone had someone lift them up in the bucket to do some work?I think most of us has done some work out of the bucket instead of getting a ladder.coobie

"Instead of the ladder"?

I put the ladder in the bucket, its the only way I can reach to paint the back gable of the barn that is ~40' high

We use the loader bucket for a work platform all the time.

 

[coobie]

Yes! I have used an extention ladder with the feet inside my bucket to gain more height. I used a step ladder to get on the bucket.....That is far from some of the most dangerous things I've done though.....ANYTHING is potentionally dangerous how about roller coasters, air planes, going caving, scuba diving, parachuting, snake handling, any form of racing, etc..... Some people would say that walking your dog should only be done with the proper training and saftey precautions. It just depends on ones' definition of "safe"

That is my whole point ANYTHING we do on a daily basis can be dangerous.IMHO I get sick and tired of all the saftey stickers and being told by the goverment & certian activists groups how to keep me safe because some nitwit hurt themselves doing something they should not have.I guess it keeps the lawyers and legal system in business.LOL,coobie

 

[SpringHollow]

I agree with the basic principle that Woodlandfarms states but you also have to take into account how often the activity occurs. The frequency of riding in a bucket is extremely low compared to most things.

Humans are terrible at risk analysis. Not entering the ocean because of the fear of sharks is a fine example. I am a chemist and the fear people have of chemicals or working in our building does crack me up - everything is a chemical including what you eat and breathe. What the chemical is and the level of exposure is what is important. I am saying this as one who wears a remote air respirator when working with large amounts of epoxy paint etc. so I do believe in limiting exposure. But working in a proper chemistry lab, you are exposed to less "chemicals" than when you fill up your car with gas. And many of the farmers here are exposed to significantly larger amounts of potentially dangerous chemicals.

One of the more dangerous things most of us do is driving.

 

[kebo]

To answer the OP's question, my opinion is that no child should ever be allowed to ride or sit in a bucket with the tractor running. I suppose there would be a very minimal risk with letting them sit in the bucket for a pic (as one poster mentioned) with the motor NOT running, but I still wouldn't let them just play in it.

I also happen to believe that allowing children to sit on or ride anywhere on a running tractor is a bad idea. I know, lots of folks have done it and nothing bad ever happened. I think they were fortunate nothing did go wrong. Tractors are not play toys, they can be risky enough for adults so why would you want to increase the risk of a child getting hurt? What if grandpa is riding the grand-twins on the old massey and he has a stroke or spell, or passes out?

All the statistics and risk factors mean nothing when it is your child or grandchild that is injured or worse killed while on a tractor. Get them a toy pedal tractor and let them play on it to tilll they wear themselves out. That'll help them burn off some energy!!

Children and heavy equipment do not mix, that is an accident waiting to happen.