Tractor safety training offered
Lyon County Extension Office
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Agriculture producers can allow their 14 and 15-year-old children to operate farm machinery for their family.
However, the Fair Labor Standards Act prohibits Kansas farmers, who are not the parents, from legally hiring youth in these age groups, unless the teenagers have taken special safety training courses offered through 4-H and vocational agriculture programs. That same law applies for family corporations in which the family members are considered employees of the corporation.
“Farmers considering hiring help this summer should remember this requirement.” advises Michele Koenig, Lyon County Extension 4-H Agent. “Young people who plan to work on the farm or for the family corporation should plan to attend the joint tractor safety course offered by the Lyon, Chase, Coffey, and Morris County Extension Councils”
This two-part course will take place at PrairieLand Partners (formerly Deer Trail Implement, Inc.) in Emporia on 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. March 17 and March 20 Youth must attend both sessions of the tractor safety training course and pass a written exam if they plan to legally operate a tractor larger than 20 horsepower for hire.
Young people who complete the course will receive a certificate, a copy which they must provide to their farm employer. Employers are then required to keep that certificate on file with a copy of Child Labor Bulletin 102. They must also have evidence of the date of birth of the hired youth.
“Those certificates do not indicate that the youth have been trained to operate a tractor or machinery” Brian Rees, Lyon County Extension Agriculture Agent stresses. “They just mean that the young people have completed the safety training and show proficiency in safety standards and protocols.”
Interested youth should stop by their local Extension Office to pre-register. They must also pick up the manual and pre-tests ahead of time to get acquainted with the material.
Participants need to be registered by Wednesday, March 7. For further information, contact any one of the following Extension Offices: Lyon County (620) 341-3220, Chase County (620) 273-6491, Coffey County (620) 364-5313, or Morris County (620) 767-5136. This program is sponsored by the Farm Bureaus of Lyon, Chase, Coffey, and Morris Counties and by the Flint Hills Antique Tractor Club.