In the last five years 19 children were killed on New Zealand farms, and in the Bay of Plenty last year 95 people were hurt on farms.

The open spaces, farm animals and equipment of farm life are very attractive to children, but they can be dangerous to young people unfamiliar with them.

To try and reduce the deaths, ACC has devised an interactive way of starting children thinking about farm hazards.

'Danger Rangers, Farm” takes them through various scenarios, identifying dangers and collecting First Aid items. 'Danger Rangers” can be played online and is in the rural safety section of ACC's website, www.acc.co.nz.

On farm attractions/hazards include:

Vehicles. Quad bikes can kill and injure children who don't have the strength or body weight to handle them safely. Under New Zealand agricultural guidelines children younger than 16 shouldn't drive farm quad bikes. Children over 16 can drive quad bikes, if their guardian believes they are capable. Even then, they should be supervised and must always wear a suitable helmet and solid footwear.

Children are also prone to falling off tractors when riding as passengers. If there's no passenger seat, there should be no passengers. That goes for quad bikes too.

Animals. Animals can move unexpectedly and injure people whether they mean to or not.

Children have to be taught how to act around animals, to not to get too close, not to come between a mother and her young, and to keep out of places where animals are confined and might be stressed.

Many animal-related accidents involve horses, and it's usually a head injury. That's why it's important to wear a riding helmet that fits and strong footwear with a good heel.

Machinery. Idle farm machinery is a hazard to children that is often overlooked. Warn children off playing about stationary farm machinery, and apply brakes and remove the keys from machines that are not in use.

If using machinery and there are children about, take an extra look before moving off.

Water. There's potential for drowning on a farm in rivers, creeks, drinking troughs, oxidation ponds, sheep dips and tanks. Many farm ponds and tanks are steep sided and difficult to climb out of. Streams and rivers have currents and eddies and can conceal under water snags that can trap the unwary, Make sure children understand the dangers and not to go near it without an adult.

Poisons and chemicals. Make sure all chemicals and poisons are securely locked away, and never store chemicals or poisons in food or drink containers.

Roads. Road crashes are a leading cause of injury and death for all children. Rural roads may be quieter than urban streets, but the traffic is usually moving faster.