UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Driving a tractor is perhaps the most popular job in agriculture for young and old alike, but a farm safety expert in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences says children should operate a tractor only when strict safety conditions have been met.

Farmers can assign appropriate farm tasks to their children using the newly developed North American Guidelines to Children's Agricultural Tasks (NAGCAT), says Dennis Murphy, professor of agricultural engineering.

"Children only should operate wide front-end tractors equipped with a seatbelt and a rollover protection system," he explains. "Make sure the child can reach all the controls while wearing a seatbelt."

Murphy also emphasizes that children should operate the tractor only during daylight, under dry conditions and on relatively flat terrain with no nearby ditches, trees or fences. "Under no circumstances are extra riders allowed on the tractor when a child is driving," Murphy says.

Adults should ensure that the tractor has all relevant safety features, including rollover protection, seatbelt, shields, good brakes, proper lights and markings. "Every time the tractor is used, an adult should perform a service check and inspect the work area for hazards," Murphy explains.

For further protection, children should wear non-skid boots, hearing protection and wear long hair up and away from machinery -- preferably in a bun or under a cap. "The noise from a tractor or another piece of equipment easily can reach above 90 decibels, which can cause hearing loss during prolonged exposure," Murphy says.

Murphy says children 12 to 13 years old should operate tractors of 70 horsepower or less. Children at age 14 to 15 can operate a medium or large tractor. Children should be at least 16 years old to operate an articulated tractor. "A child should be 16 or older to drive any tractor on a public road," he adds.

Murphy says some jobs involving tractors never should be assigned to children. They are:

--Pulling an oversize or overweight load.

--Hitching the tractor to move stuck or implanted objects.

--Using more than one vehicle simultaneously.

--Operating tractors while additional personnel are working on a trailing implement.

--Applying pesticides or anhydrous ammonia.

Murphy recommends extensive training before allowing any child to operate a tractor. He also says adults should demonstrate how to perform each new task on the site where the work is to be done.

"Always maintain a close level of supervision for all children, no matter how experienced," Murphy says. "If they've shown they can perform the job, you can leave for 15 to 30 minutes, but the child and adult should be able to communicate by cell phone, walkie talkie or some other method."

Penn State offers a free publication, "Children and Safety on the Farm," that shows parents and others how to make farms safer for children. Single copies are available free of charge by contacting your county Penn State Cooperative Extension office, or by calling the College of Agricultural Sciences Publications Distribution Center at 814-865-6713.

Parents or other professionals interested in the NAGCAT guidelines can buy booklets of six to 10 posters covering similar agricultural tasks or a professional resource manual by calling Gempler's, a Belleville, Wis., safety supply company, at 1-800-382-8473, or by visiting their Web site: http://www.gemplers.com.

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EDITORS: For more information, contact Dennis Murphy at 814-865-7157.

Contacts: John Wall jtw3@psu.edu 814-863-2719 814-865-1068 fax