Guidance No 60
Martin Southam, Risk and Safety Manager
August 2007
Children and Young People’s Services Key Managers
Farm Visits
The following documents have previously been circulated to schools and other
educational establishments providing advice for staff organising visits to farms, and
are now superceded:
•
•
•
Health and Safety Bulletin No 7 - School Visits to Farms - June 1998
Health and Safety Bulletin No 22 - Guidance on Infection Control and Visits to
Farms – March 2000
Health and Safety Bulletin No 60 - Farm Visits – March 2005
Guidance
While the hazard from infection resulting from a farm visit is real, the risks are readily
controlled by everyday measures. Ill health following farm visits is unusual. Farm
visits provide a valuable and productive learning experience and there is no reason for
them not to be undertaken provided that good practice in terms of risk assessment
and adequate planning is carried out.
As with any educational visit, farm visits should be arranged using the guidance
contained in Health & Safety Bulletin No 33 – Educational Trips and Visits, re-issued
in May 2006, together with the document entitled 'Health & Safety of Pupils on
Educational Visits', and the following guidance:
•
•
HSE Agriculture Information Sheet No 23 (AIS 23) (revised) ‘Avoiding Ill Health
at Open Farms – Advice to Farmers’ with the associated:
AIS23 supplement ‘Avoiding Ill Health at Open Farms – Advice to Teachers’.
Both available from www.hse.gov.uk
The Health and Safety Executive and the National Association of Farms for Schools
have published detailed advice on the precautions to take with farm visits. The
CLEAPSS (Consortium of Local Education Authorities for the Provision of Science
Services) School Science Service offers advice on all aspects of practical science,
and this includes welfare, legal and health and safety issues of keeping animals in
schools or bringing them in from the wild, and many other topics including farm visits.
Contact details for these organisations are provided below.
Before the Visit
Read and understand the advice in Agriculture Information Sheet No 23 (AIS 23) and
discuss visit arrangements with farm management. Be assured that the facilities
provided match the recommendations in AIS23.
Remember – the
school/establishment remains responsible for the pupils during the whole of the visit.
Check that the farm is well managed, e.g. has a good reputation for high standards
including stock welfare, the grounds and public areas are as clean as possible and
that suitable welfare facilities including first aid arrangements are in place (a travelling
first aid kit should also be taken just as on any visit).
Check that the farm has suitable washing and toilet facilities, appropriately signposted,
with running water (preferably hot and cold), soap and disposable towels or hot air
hand dryer(s). The washing facilities should be sufficient for the number of visitors
making the visit. Any drinking water taps should be clearly labelled in a suitable area.
Also ensure that any hot water supply will not scald.
A risk assessment of the risks involved in visiting such establishments must be carried
out. This should involve a prior visit by a member of staff. Refer to example attached
and add/amend to meet your requirements.
Ensure suitable supervision is in place. The age and stage of development of the
pupils, medical needs, etc should also be taken into account. Guidance on adult/child
ratios for visits is given in the DfES document 'Health and Safety of Pupils on
Educational Visits’. If supervision levels are below those specified, pupils under the
age of eight should not be allowed to have direct contact with the animals.
Female visitors to farms should be warned that there is a possible risk of diseases
being transmitted to pregnant women during lambing time. Ideally, pregnant women
should not visit farms during lambing season.
Arrange appropriate insurance cover for all participants. Group leaders are strongly
advised to ensure that appropriate insurance cover for all participants is in place for
the establishment to be visited. Advice regarding this matter can be obtained from
Risk Management Services - Tel 0116 252 7500.
Obtain written parental consent for pupils to participate PRIOR to the visit, explaining,
when seeking consent, the purpose, benefits and specific requirements for clothing
and footwear. Visitors should be equipped with outdoor clothing appropriate to
weather conditions, including where appropriate, protection from the sun. Wellington
boots are ideal as they can be easily cleaned, but any closed shoe is preferable to
open footwear. Also ask to be advised of any known allergies that a pupil may have
(animals, fur, hay fever, grass seed, etc.) and ensure the parent still consents to the
visit if any allergy is declared. Where an allergy is declared ensure that this can be
robustly managed if the pupil participates in the trip.
The visit should be discussed with the trip supervisors, including parents and carers
so that they are aware of their role on the trip. They must understand the need to
make sure that the pupils wash, or are helped to wash their hands thoroughly after
contacting animals to reduce the possible risk of infection.
Prepare pupils for the trip by explaining the hazards e.g. dangers posed by farm
machinery, expected standards of behaviour and the importance of following any rules
e.g. shutting gates. The importance of hand hygiene should also be explained.
Visitors should not eat or drink anything, including chewing gum, etc. or smoke, while
touring the farm because of the risk of infection and the risk of contact with toxic
pesticides and other chemicals. It is important that packaging, etc. brought into the
farm by a trip participant is not allowed to present any hazard to animals.
Check that existing cuts, grazes, etc. on exposed parts of the body, especially hands,
are covered with a waterproof dressing.
During the Visit
Ensure that the pupils stay in their allocated groups.
Ensure cuts and grazes (especially on hands) remain covered with waterproof
dressings during the visit.
Visitors should not place their faces against the animals or put their hands near their
own mouths or lips after contact with, or feeding farm animals. Younger visitors
should be closely supervised to ensure that they do not put any objects that they have
dropped into their mouths.
Ensure that hands are washed and dried thoroughly after any contact with animals.
Hand washing should be supervised. Remember, a thorough hand wash can take
up to 2 minutes.
Ensure that hands are washed and dried thoroughly before and after eating. Meal
breaks or snacks must be taken in designated areas, well away from areas where
animals are kept, and food that may have fallen on the ground should not be eaten.
Any crops produced on the farm should be thoroughly washed in drinking water before
consumption. Water for drinking and food washing should be taken only from taps
clearly labelled as drinking water.
Visitors should only eat food that they have brought with them, or food for
consumption they have bought on the farm. Ensure that pupils do not consume
unpasturised produce, for example milk or cheese, or taste animal feed stuffs, such as
silage and concentrates.
Manure or slurry presents a particular risk of infection. Pupils must not touch it, if they
do, they should thoroughly wash and dry their hands and other affected parts
immediately.
Visitors should not use or pick up tools (e.g. spades and forks) unless permitted to do
so by farm staff and where suitable supervision is in place.
At the end of the Visit
All members of the party must be accounted for.
All visitors must wash their hands thoroughly before departure.
Ensure that footwear is as free as possible from faecal material. Visitors should clean
or change their footwear before leaving, remembering to wash their hands after any
contact with animal faeces on their footwear. They should also be instructed to wash
their hands when they return home after they have removed their shoes.
If a member of staff or pupil shows signs of illness (e.g. sickness or diarrhoea) after a
visit, advise them or their parent/guardian to visit the doctor and explain that they have
had recent contact with animals. This should be included on the information/consent
form.
Establishments planning farm visits may find it useful to contact these
organisations for further information:
HSE Infoline
Caerphilly Business Park
Caerphilly
CF83 3GG
Tel: 0845 345 0055
Fax: 0845 408 9566
Website : www.hse.gov.uk
HSE Publications: www.hse.gov.uk/PUBNS/index.htm
Email: hseinformationservices@natbrit.com
CLEAPSS School Science Service
Brunel University
Uxbridge
UB8 3PH
Helpline: 01895 251 496
Fax: 01895 814 372
Email: science@cleapss.org.uk
Website: www.cleapss.org.uk
Farms for Schools
PO Box 27
Hebden Bridge
HX7 5YZ
Tel: 01422 882 708
Fax: 01422 885 533
(Contact: Ellen Brookes)
Email: ellen-brookes@farmsforschools.org.uk
Website: www.farmsforschools.org.uk
CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE'S SERVICES - RISK ASSESSMENT
Sample Generic Risk Assessment
Date of Assessment:
Farm Visits
HAZARD /
ITEM
Hazards on site including
machinery, chemicals, slurry pits,
animals, barbed wire, electric
fences
WHO MAY BE HARMED
LIKELIHOOD of
hazard occurring
Low (L)
Medium (M)
High (H)
CONSEQUENCE of
hazard occurring
Low (L)
Medium (M)
High (H)
Staff and Pupils
RISK
RATING
CONTROL MEASURES
Site is pre visited by leader and risk assessed. If farm
is regularly open for school visits, ask manager for
their risk assessment for visiting groups and review
this.
Plan visit and supervision to minimise risks.
•
Avoid moving machinery
•
Do not climb on bales, walls or fences
•
Keep away from slurry tanks
•
Do not touch barbed wire or electric fences
•
Do not touch or feed animals unless the farm
personnel are supervising/give permission
NB: Arrangements at farms can change daily. Reassess at start of visit.
Infection and illness (including EColi
0157)
Staff and Pupils
Avoid transmission of infection from hand to mouth.
Check hand-washing facilities on pre visit.
Wash hands thoroughly before eating.
Change or clean footwear before leaving site, wash
hands.
Ratios of under fives one adult to two children.
Pregnant women avoid contact with lambing ewes.
Group control
Pupils
Close supervision, large groups split into small groups
each with leader known to pupils. Leader of each
group understands hazards and control measures.
Overall leader remains in touch with all groups.
Allergies
Staff and Pupils
Parental declaration and consent, medication readily
available. Emergency procedure to obtain
professional medical care briefed to all supervisors.
Review Date:
Signature of Assessor:
CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE'S SERVICES - RISK ASSESSMENT
Sample Generic Risk Assessment
Review Date:
Date of Assessment:
Signature of Assessor: