Gardening safety for children

In today’s world, a thoughtfully designed organic garden is one of the safest and most productive environments for children to engage and develop the full range of their physical and mental abilities. Without question, this depends upon an adequate level of adult supervision and an awareness of each child’s tendency to absorb both safe and unsafe practices through their capacity for close observation and imitation. Like most learning situations, garden safety requires constant instruction and practical application from individuals who elicit the respect and trust of their charges. By consistently demonstrating a strong commitment to garden and outdoor safety, parents and supervising adults can gradually promote a similar response in the children under their care.

The emphasis on safety should be directed toward preventative strategies, based on an evaluation of potential consequences for a range of adverse events. When the consequences are sufficiently serious the risk needs to be addressed. This focus upon potential consequence alleviates the difficulty of evaluating the precise level of risk. 

Research in psychology has repeatedly demonstrated that an accurate evaluation of negative risk is constantly undermined and distorted by a complex mix of emotion, personal experience, and unrealistic or irrational fear. The recommended approach for promoting safety also depends on developing some sensible precautions which are easy to follow and do not interfere unduly with the basic activity, which in this case is gardening and working outdoors.

The initial step in making a garden safe for children is to take a careful inventory of every situation, or item which involves some potential for risk of injury. Starting with the physical property itself, attempt to identify all of the obvious hazards. Make a list with a brief description of each area inside a bound notebook. Is the land flat or sloping? Does it adjoin a roadway containing traffic? Are there any bodies of water inside the garden or within close proximity? Is the garden securely fenced? Are the retaining walls and outbuildings structurally safe? Are there any unsound trees, particularly those with overhanging limbs? Do the pathways become slippery when wet or iced? Does the garden contain sharp rocks or gravel? Are there any unfilled holes or logs lying about? Try to locate areas of poor visibility. Are there any buried cables or gas pipes within the garden?

Once the list is compiled wait a few days then try to locate any additional sources of potential hazard. It can even be helpful to consult a relative or friend who may uncover dangerous situations which were originally concealed or considered irrelevant. The next step is to take the list and to give each of the hazardous situations a rating to describe the possible consequences. A rating of five is applied to any situation with life threatening consequences. For example, a deep unfenced pond must be rated as five whenever there are toddlers or young children visiting, playing or working in the garden. A rating of four is given to describe any situation which is likely to cause severe injury, a three rating for serious injury, two for moderate injury, and a rating of one for minor injury. Of course, this classification is somewhat arbitrary and can only estimate the approximate consequences of each hazard. The main aim is to identify those situations which are life threatening or capable of causing serious injury. These areas need to be secured and made safe as a priority and definitely before children are encouraged to access the garden.

Once the physical surroundings are clear, proceed with an inventory of outdoor materials, tools, and other equipment. All gardening tools should be carefully stored in an enclosed area which is secured to prevent unsupervised access. It is worthwhile creating a system which draws attention to missing tools. Some gardeners prefer to consult a written checklist but a convenient visual method is to paint a silhouette of each tool on the wall. At the end of a gardening session, older children can be encouraged to inspect the tools for signs of wear or damage. Learning to respect and care for gardening equipment is an important aspect of garden safety. Fortunately, an organic approach eliminates the extremely toxic and dangerous chemicals widely used in conventional gardens. Several of the natural substances used in organic gardening are, however, sufficiently toxic to require secure storage. Young children should be closely supervised in the presence of these materials while older children can be introduced to the necessary safety precautions and taught to apply them with appropriate supervision.

After eliminating garden hazards, safety awareness should be reinforced by encouraging children to adopt a sensible approach to their garden activities. Focus on establishing the basic precautions which apply to their situation. When confronted with these, many children will attempt to understand their underlying logic, so be prepared to provide sufficient explanation. For example, it is important for children to wash their hands after contact with potting mixtures, compost, and similar organic materials. Explain the presence of bacteria which are essential in the garden yet potentially harmful when allowed to multiply on the surface of hands. Washing eliminates bacteria from hands. This is consistent with the fact that garden produce must also be washed carefully before consumption.

Children love to explore and investigate hidden corners of the garden. To ensure their safety, they must wear protective clothing and be capable of identifying and avoiding potentially dangerous creatures such as snakes, spiders, and scorpions. Children should also be aware of poisonous plants. Some of these will sting or irritate the skin on contact and many common plants are toxic when ingested. There are commonsense safety precautions which should be experienced from an early age. Learning to bend from the knees when lifting a heavy object, wearing protective eyewear while trimming branches, the use of garden gloves for weeding, the importance of applying sunscreens and drinking plenty of water while undertaking physical activities. Supervise children from a distance but encourage them to take responsibility for their own safety. This approach helps to create a harmonious and productive atmosphere in the garden.