A UNSW-led research collaboration has developed the ‘Calm Your Farm’ game to increase farm safety knowledge and awareness.
Several universities have collaborated to create the free online educational game to educate teenagers about potential farm hazards and ways to minimise injury risk in the farm environment.
A multi-disciplinary group from UNSW, UTS, James Cook University, and the University of Sydney Rural Medical School have partnered for the project, supported by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry through the National Farm Safety Education Fund.
“Thinking about the next generation of farmers, we saw an opportunity to help that younger adolescent age group while they’re still in school,” UNSW Medicine & Health injury prevention researcher Dr Amy Peden said.
According to UNSW, adolescents are increasingly exposed to farm hazards and on-farm work responsibilities, making them vulnerable to injury and potential hazards in their home environment.
“The options for getting injured are broader for this age group. They’re more likely to be seen as a worker, someone who can assist. We also know that this is the age when they start to do things unsupervised by their parents, with their friends instead. The farm is often a home and a workplace, which makes things more challenging from an injury prevention perspective,” Dr Peden stated.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reported that between 2010-12 and 2014-15, 22,000 people were hospitalised due to farm injuries, with the number of teenagers aged 10-19 likely in the thousands, although the exact frequency of these injuries remains unclear.
During the project, the researchers conducted focus groups with students and instructors at agricultural high schools in remote NSW and Tasmania to better understand the problem of farm injuries and to investigate potential interventions.
Dr Peden said many people knew someone who had a severe farm injury or had themselves injured, highlighting the significant issue and the need for improved primary prevention strategies, starting with a fun educational approach.
According to Dr. Peden, teenagers are an underserved population regarding agricultural safety education and safety education in general.
“Like many other injury issues, I realised that farm safety and injury prevention is often promoted for very young children or adults. Adolescents get lost in between,” Dr Peden said.
Farm safety is taught in the curriculum of agricultural high schools. However, this usually comprises memorising textual material and filling out multiple-choice surveys.
To convey farm safety education more dynamically and engagingly, the researchers developed a game that would teach players about agricultural safety, using input from students from focus groups.
“Farm injury statistics have not been dropping as fast as other injuries and in some areas have remained stagnant over the last decade,” James Cook University Professor Richard Franklin said. “It is hoped that this resource will engage young minds in what can be undertaken to keep people safe on farms.”
‘Calm Your Farm’ is a farm game that features four modules based on high-risk areas: Vehicles, Workshop, Paddock, and Water. Players choose a character and progress through mini-games, learning practical injury prevention tips like safe quad biking, hazard symbol recognition, and appropriate clothing for different tasks.
