By John Tyson
Agriculture is one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States. Take the time to use your number one piece of safety equipment - that one between your ears. Harvest time adds extra stress to already full days, but let's do all we can to avoid losing any farmers or future farmers this fall.
Why is it we never think about safety until it is too late? Agriculture remains one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States. During 2013 in Pennsylvania alone, 37 people were killed in farm-related accidents. Maybe one of the worst statistics is that 6 of those 37 fatalities, 16%, were youth under the age of 19.
Machinery Safety
Nearly 50% of all fatalities (18) involved tractors, skid steers, or forklifts. Tractor overturns lead all individual categories.
Now that I’ve shown you the statistics, what can you do? Well, the number one piece of safety equipment that can be used is the one that’s between your ears. Most accidents could have been avoided if a little common sense had been used. We all know not to try to operate a tractor from the ground or step over a running PTO shaft. So, why do it? Also, use the safety equipment that comes with the tractor. A ROPS system can protect you from rollover, but only when you wear the seat belt!
PTO accidents also happen all too often. Some think that if a PTO shaft begins to grab them they can just pull away. Remember a 540 rpm PTO shaft turns 9 times per second and a 1,000 rpm shaft turns 16.6 times per second. Combine that with the horsepower of the engine turning it and even Superman would have a hard time getting away. Keep PTO covers and guards in place, they do serve a purpose.
Part of farm life is children working on the farm with machinery. Kids learn responsibility and work ethics. However, before you let your kids on machinery make sure they know how to operate it properly; start them off slow with small, simple tasks. Also, remember that they learn by watching you—how safe are you?
Personal Protection
The use of some personal protection can go a long way in protection against accidents and long term exposure problems. The most common protection areas are the hands, feet, eyes, ears, and skin. The two areas we don't protect enough are the ears and skin. Long term exposure to tractor and machinery noise can cause significant hearing loss. Many say if they wear ear plugs they can’t tell if the equipment is operating properly. Well, after 30 years of careful listening you may have a problem hearing anything at all. Skin cancer is another concern with long term exposure to the sun. Simply using sunscreen and wearing a hat during the summer can significantly reduce your exposure and chances of skin problems later on.
Farmstead Safety
Common hazards around the farm include animals, silos, grain bins, manure storage, farm ponds, pesticides, electrical equipment, and many more. So, what can you do to avoid accidents around the farm? Once again, common sense is your best defense: think before you act. To protect children, things like manure storage and ponds should be fenced, pesticides should be out of reach, and small children should be kept away from running equipment.
If nothing else, I ask that you use some common sense and think before you act during this fall's harvest. We don’t need to lose any more farmers or future farmers to accidents.
Source:psu.edu