Health & safety at Hesketh: avoiding infection

We really hope your visit to Hesketh Farm Park is enjoyable and you love meeting and interacting with our animals. However, contact with any animals carries a risk of infection, so we ask that you follow our health & safety guidelines to reduce the risk of ill health. Farm animals carry a number of infections that can be harmful to people, for example, E.Coli and Cryptosporidium – many animals carry these infections even when they appear clean and healthy. The bacteria will be in the animal’s droppings and may be on the animal’s body, or on fences and surfaces in and around the Farm. Touching animals, fences and other surfaces can thus lead to infection, as you may pick up these bacteria and accidentally pass them to your mouth. It only takes a small number of the bacteria to cause infection.

The best and simplest way to reduce the risk of infection is to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water immediately after you have had contact with animals.
Hand gels or wipes are not a substitute for washing your hands with running water.

Hesketh Farm Park’s health & safety guidelines

Do not:

• Put hands on faces or fingers in mouths whilst petting animals or walking round the farm.
• Kiss farm animals nor allow children to put their faces close to animals.
• Eat or drink while touching animals or walking round the farm only in the designated eating areas.
• Eat anything that has fallen on the floor.
• Use gels or wipes instead of washing hands with soap and water. Gels and wipes do not remove E.Coli, Cryptosporidium or dirt.

Do:

• Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after you have touched animals, fences or other surfaces in animal areas.
• Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before eating and drinking. .
• Remove and clean boots or shoes that might have become soiled and clean pushchair wheels. Then wash you hands thoroughly with soap and water.
• Supervise children closely to ensure that they wash their hands.

We’ve got plenty of hand wash stations, each with warm water, antibacterial soap and hand towel. Around the Farm you will find hand washing facilities available near each animal contact area, and plenty of basins by the toilets too. Please do use these as we want you to remember Hesketh for a fantastic visit, not for having a horrible infection after you get home.

Further information is available by downloading the Health Protection Agency’s leaflet, Avoiding infection on farm visits: advice for the public, or on their website at www.hpa.org.uk.