The 2019 data for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that the agricultural sector is still the most dangerous in America with 573 fatalities, or an equivalent of 23.1 deaths per 100,000 workers. Fall harvest time can be one of the busiest and most dangerous seasons of the year for the agriculture industry. For this reason, the third week of September has been recognized as National Farm Safety and Health Week. This annual promotion initiated by the National Safety Council has been proclaimed as such by each sitting U.S. President since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944. National Farm Safety and Health Week is led by the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety (NECAS), the agricultural partner of the National Safety Council.
Among the safety topics that are stressed this week include the most deadly subject, tractor safety & rural roadway safety. Half the farm fatalities reported each year are from transportation incidents.
Other topics stressed include safety and health for youth on farms, and women working on farms. The week also reminds farmers to take care of themselves and not neglect food, sleep, or regular medication they may take.
Another essential reminder focuses on farmers with large amounts of acreage requiring more travel. It’s crucial farmers know the physical 911 address for each location. One solution is to keep a list of farm addresses in each farm vehicle. This tool speeds up the response time of an ambulance or fire truck.
Farm safety organizations remind farmers:
In the field, be visible with bright colored and reflective clothing.
On the road, make sure equipment has sufficient lighting, reflective tape, reflectors, and a slow-moving vehicle (SMV) signs.
In each vehicle, have at least two fire extinguishers, one outside and one inside.
AgriSafe Webinars
Each day during National Farm Safety & Health Week, AgriSafe will host two free webinars related to the daily topic of focus. Participants only need to register one time at www.necasag.org to access all of the NFSHW webinars.
Monday, September 19
• Noon CDT – Crashes Involving Agricultural Vehicles in the Southwest Region
• 2 p.m. CDT – ATV/UTV Safety for Farm Women
Tuesday, September 20
• Noon CDT – Putting Time and Distance Between Someone at Risk of Suicide and Lethal Means: An Overview of the CALM Workshop
• 2 p.m. CDT – Heat and Wildfire Smoke Exposure Among Agricultural Workers: Examining Exposure Risk and Potential Strategies to Protect Workers
Wednesday, September 21
• Noon CDT – Protecting and Promoting the Health of Young Agricultural Workers: The Role of Employers and Supervisors
• 2 p.m. CDT – Farm Youth Mental Health: What We Know and How to Help
Thursday, September 22
• Noon CDT – Roundtable Discussion: Grain Bin Safety
• 2 p.m. CDT – Confined Space: Grain Bin Entry
Friday, September 23
• Noon CDT – More than Milk: Strong Bones and Injury Prevention for Aging Women in Ag
• 2 p.m. CDT – ¡Basta! Working Together to Prevent Sexual Harassment in the Agricultural Workplace
SOURCE: www.necasag.org
Handling and storing grain
Grain handling and storage play a vital part in Missouri farming. Increased storage capacities combined with larger, faster handling and automated equipment contribute to the industry’s high hazard level. While new technologies have increased efficiency on the farm, the machinery gives farmers the ability to work alone – exposing them to additional dangerous situations.
Never Enter a Bin with Flowing Grain
Do not enter bins while grain is loaded or unloaded. Suffocation is one of the most common causes of death involving grain bins. This occurs when someone enters a bin with flowing grain and is pulled under and covered with grain. Many farmers underestimate the massive force behind flowing grain. Standing on moving grain can be deadly; the grain works like quicksand to create suction that can bury a person in seconds. Wait until the dust clears so you can clearly see your footing before entering.
Shut off and Secure Power Sources
Be sure to turn off and lock out all power equipment associated with the grain when not in operation, including the augers used to help move grain. Be especially aware of automatic unloading equipment, and keep children away from operating grain augers at all times.
Wear Respiratory Protection
Fermentation produces carbon dioxide, a colorless, odorless gas. Grain bins often have an oxygen-deficient atmosphere. Working in a grain bin where carbon dioxide is present can be very harmful to your health. To reduce the hazard, open all manholes and doors to force air through the bin before working inside. Once exposed, the carbon dioxide can get in your bloodstream and slow down your breathing, which can cause drowsiness, headaches and even death by suffocation.
Even a small amount of spoiled grain can produce millions of tiny mold spores which easily become airborne when disturbed. Airborne mold spores can be inhaled, causing reactions so severe that sometimes hospitalization is necessary. Farmers working without respiratory protection inside a bin or other grain storage facility where moldy grain is present are especially vulnerable to mold and dust reactions.
Your tolerance may be reduced with each repeated exposure to dust and mold. Be sure to wear a mask that fits securely around your mouth and nose to protect you.
Fumigants are incredibly toxic to humans when swallowed, inhaled, or even absorbed through the skin. Be sure to follow all label recommendations when in use. It is necessary to only use masks and equipment tested by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health when fumigating. Always run the ventilation fan before entering a bin to reduce the danger of the environment to your health.
To ensure the safety of those near the bin, post warning signs telling people you are fumigating grain and to avoid the area. Some producers choose a safer and more effective method and have their stored grain fumigated by a licensed, professional fumigator.
Use Equipment Guards and Shields
Grain augers become increasingly dangerous with each hour of use. It is important to continuously review the operator’s manual and examine all equipment parts to make sure the auger is in safe operating condition.
Equipment guards and shields prevent opportunities for farmers and workers to become entangled in moving equipment parts. Removing equipment guards and not replacing them is a common cause of injury in farmers. When repairing machinery, be sure to replace all guards and shields when finished to reduce injury.
It is extremely important to make sure there is a guard on a PTO-driven grain auger. Some PTO shafts can rotate at 540 revolutions per minute, which can cause severe injury and even death. The power shaft that moves power to the top of the auger can cause the same injuries as a rotating PTO shaft. Always replace damaged or missing PTO and power shaft shields before operation.
Intake screens on augers help prevent your hands and feet from getting caught between during operation. Today, most new augers are sold with intake screens in place. If you have an older machine that does not have an intake screen, add one, and be sure to replace missing or damaged screens.
Many grain augers operate on a belt or chain drive system. These belts and chains have several pinch points. A pinch point is where a belt or chain wraps onto a pulley or sprocket. If a finger or piece of clothing gets caught in a pinch point or the auger, it may result in severe injury, sometimes requiring amputation. Most of these systems do not come with shields, but can be easily fabricated for use.
Install Safety Equipment
Before working in bins, be sure to have all equipment in place in case of emergency. This includes full-body harnesses and life lines for easier rescue in case of a grain avalanche. This also includes installing rest platforms every 30 feet on vertical ladders on the outside of bins to reduce the risk of falls while climbing the bins. Strategically placing safety decals around the grain bins should alert workers to the possible dangers of flowing grain, crusted-over grain, and carbon dioxide.
SOURCE: FarmSafety.Mo.Gov
Harvest safety tips to prevent accidents on the farm
When it comes to fall harvest, there’s a lot to be done in a short amount of time. Top that off with shorter days and colder weather, and you get a developed sense of urgency among farmers, which can lead to injury and death. Use these harvest safety tips to prepare accordingly for the season and keep friends and family safe on the farm.
Farmers, it’s important to begin pre-planning for harvest season right now to avoid accidents when you’re in the thick of busy days.
Cheryl Skjolaas, an Agricultural Safety Specialist at the UW Center for Agricultural Safety and Health, offers the following tips to prevent life-altering incidents:
Come Up With A Family Checklist
The better you maintain your equipment and yard, the less likely things are to break down.
“It’s when things break down and we lose time that we take unsafe shortcuts, which can lead to accidents,” Cheryl says.
To prevent your tractor and other important farm equipment from breaking down, make a list of what needs to be done to maintain them. Then, assign workers and family members to complete those tasks. This way, nothing will be overlooked or forgotten, and you’ll prevent safety and technical hiccups.
You’ll also increase productivity.
Read Up and Refresh On Manuals
Now’s also a great time to review how to use machinery you haven’t used in a while. To be extra safe, run these manuals by your workers and family too, especially if they’re newer to the job.
Have An Emergency Plan
Developing an emergency communication plan is essential. Most likely, you won’t need it – but if you do, you’ll be glad to have it.
These plans ensure that when there’s an emergency situation, everyone knows how to respond right away. You’ll save time, and potentially a life.
“If someone isn’t back by 9:00 p.m., do you know what field they are in, which route they are on?” Cheryl says.
Once you develop your plan, make sure everyone is familiar with it.
Maintain The Yard
Remove tree limbs that are hanging low, and talk to electrical companies if you have heavy rains in your area.
Take care of details like these ahead of time to address any issues before you hit the field for harvesting.
Train Anyone Who Is About To Use Equipment
It’s easy to invite your neighbor over to hop on a tractor and help out with the farm chores, especially when time is tight.
But you shouldn’t let anyone on a tractor, or use any farm equipment, without at least some training.
A lack of training is dangerous not only for the inexperienced person – if you’re new to a job, you have a greater risk of injuring yourself – but for everyone else working, too.
“Whoever is driving the tractor or using equipment needs to know basic procedures and safety precautions,” Cheryl says.
Know Where Your Young Children Are
Keep children off of tractors and farm equipment, and enforce a rule to make sure they don’t run recklessly outside while you are working.
That being said, know where your children are before taking out machinery. Designate a safe play area, and make sure they aren’t hiding underneath the tractor.
If You Feel Fatigue, Stop
It’s easy to want to push on, even when you’re tired. But, if you’re fatigued, you’re more likely to take shortcuts and risk injuring yourself or others.
Don’t turn to extra cups of coffee or sugary caffeinated drinks either. It’s best to stick to a healthy diet and give your body the rest it needs, when it needs it.
Meet New Lighting and Marking Requirements
Lighting and marking requirements changed in November 2015, so now’s the time make sure that all of your harvesting equipment meets them.
Read more about changes to lighting and marking requirements.
Practice Grain Bin Safety
Harvesting, transportation and storing grain and silage can be hazardous. Freshen up on and share these grain bin safety tips to remain safe and prevent accidents.
Beware Of Machinery Entanglements
Machinery entanglements are the leading cause of injury and death on the farm. Do everything you can do prevent it – including guarding or shielding all moving parts on machinery, and keeping bystanders and children away.
You can help prevent accidents by staying organized and preparing ahead of time. For more information on how to remain safe during harvest season, visit the Farm Safety page at www.ruralmutual.com.
SOURCE: www.ruralmutual.com
Handling large round bales
Know what risks you’re exposed to so you can work safely.
By UNMC, Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health, Omaha, NE
How can the weight of a large round bale become a deadly force?
Aaron Yoder, PH.D., Associate Professor, Department of Environmental, Agricultural & Occupational Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), says understanding the role center of gravity (CG) plays in handling bales that weigh between 500 and 2,500 pounds is key element of avoiding a tractor or loader rollover.
A tractor’s CG is the point where all parts balance one another. Approximately 30% of the tractor weight is on the front axle and 70% is on the rear axle. Adding weight to the tractor can affect the CG.
For a tractor to stay upright, it’s CG must stay within the stability baseline or where the tires touch the ground. The position of the CG can change if the tractor moves from a level position onto a slope, or significant weight is added to either the front or rear of the tractor.
“When a tractor or loader carries a bale, the center of gravity on that equipment shifts,” Yoder says. “The center of gravity raises, increasing the risk for a tractor or loader rollover. That risk is increased if the equipment loses traction when operating on rough or wet terrain.”
To offset the center of gravity shift, Yoder advises modifications to the tractor/loader such as widening the wheelbase or using ballast fluid in the tires or additional counterweights. If the center of gravity shifts to the rear of the tractor, it can cause the front end to rise. If the front rises too much, the front tires lose stability and steering is impaired.
Tractors used to move bales should be equipped with a rollover protective structure (ROPS), and the operator should always buckle the tractor’s seatbelt. A ROPS limits the degree of rollover, helping protect the operator. Be aware that a ROPS is not designed to protect the tractor operator from the weight of a falling bale.
Most front-end loaders have a load capacity either stamped on the equipment or listed in a decal on the machine. The information should also be found in the equipment manual. Overloading the equipment greatly increases the risk of injury to the operator as well as damage to the machine.
“Using a grapple hook or bale spear to move a bale reduces potential for the bale to roll back onto the loader arms or operator,” Yoder says. “If the bales are stored uncovered outside, be aware that recent moisture can add a significant amount of weight to the bale.”
While moving a large round bale, avoid lifting it too high off the ground, which also results in a center of gravity shift. The bale should be high enough off the ground that it doesn’t come in contact with anything, but it should never be lifted high enough that the equipment operator can see beneath the bale.
“Make sure you can see over the top of the bale,” Yoder says. “Lifting it any higher increases the risk of a rollover.”
Be aware of any overhead wires in the vicinity where bales are being moved. Keep speed at a minimum during the move, avoid “jerky” movements, and drive along terrain that’s as flat and even as possible. Even a slight embankment can lead to a tractor overturn.
Yoder notes that co-workers, bystanders, or children should not be allowed to be in the area when bales are being moved should not be allowed.
If the equipment operator must exit the equipment before depositing a bale on the ground, they should lower the bale to ground level and turn off the engine before getting out of the tractor/loader.
“The stored energy in a hydraulic system can fail, with the potential that the bale could fall on anyone or anything that’s beneath it. Never leave a bale suspended in the air if you must leave the tractor/loader.”
(Funding for this educational article comes from the Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health and the University of Nebraska Medical Center.)
Invisible and deadly
By UNMC, Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health, Omaha, NE
Be aware that electrocution threats exist wherever high lines or electrical current is present.
It is difficult to protect yourself from a hazard you don’t recognize. On the farm, electrocution claims the lives of approximately 62 agricultural workers each year (www.electrocution.com), people die in fires caused by faulty electrical systems, people are injured through electrical shocks and burns, and property is damaged or destroyed due to incidents involving electricity.
Overhead power lines are a common source for on-farm electrocution fatalities. Lines may have been installed without insulation or the insulation may have worn off due to exposure from weather. The safest approach to working around overhead power lines is to assume that they are bare.
Unlike birds, that can sit on a power line without any consequence, when humans touch overhead lines, they are in contact with the ground at the same time. This gives the electricity a channel to flow through, which results in electrocution.
Other common electrocution hazards on the farm include degradation of electrical wire insulation from rodents, weathering, etc.; improper wiring, corrosion of electrical connections, moving irrigation pipes, using electricity in dusty conditions found inside agricultural buildings, and more.
Farm equipment that’s often involved in overhead power line contact includes tractors with front-end loaders, portable grain augers and elevators, dump trucks, feed trucks, irrigation pipes, equipment with antennas, and folding implements.
When using dump trucks, the operator should be aware of the location of overhead power lines before raising the bed and should not move the truck or trailer while the bed is in the raised position. Areas with overhead lines should be clearly marked. Typically, if a raised bed contacts a power line, the operator will not be at risk as long as they remain inside the vehicle, because the tires provide insulation.
However, if anyone standing on the ground touches the dump truck or trailer while it’s in contact with overhead lines, that person could be electrocuted.
A loader tractor or telescopic load may be used to handle hay. Because booms on these types of equipment may reach as high as overhead power lines, hay should not be stored under power lines.
Around grain bins, the National Electrical Safety Code (NESC) requires power lines to be at least 18 feet above the bin’s highest point of any bin constructed since 1992. Whenever a new grain bin is installed, a licensed electrician should be consulted to assist with placing electrical service lines. Lines may also be buried to reduce electrocution risk. Local utility officials can also help evaluate line height issues on the farm site.
When moving equipment beneath a power line, clearance should be at least 10 feet between the power line and the highest point on the equipment. Keep in mind that implements such as a fold-up planter will be taller when folded up than when they’re used in the field.
Everyone involved in planting and harvest activities must be trained to recognize potential electrocution hazards. Clearly identify any area where there are electrocution hazards related to overhead power lines when equipment is used or moved.
Electrocution hazards related to standby generators include using the transfer switch to remove the farm’s electrical system from the power company’s utility lines. This switch prevents electricity generated by a farm operation’s emergency power system from entering the power company’s utility lines and protects from electrocution those power company workers who service lines during an outage. The switch also protects the generator when power is restored.
Additional safety practices around electrical power include:
1) Choose a route on your farm site that avoids potential contact with overhead power lines.
2) Never touch a power line.
3) Contact your local power company if an incident occurs.
4) Never use ladders around power lines.
5) Contact your power company to determine the height of power lines on your farm site.
6) Review safety measures with all individuals working on our farm, whether full-time, part-time, seasonal, or voluntary.
7) Remember that even non-metallic objects such as tree limbs, ropes, and straw can conduct electricity.
8) Install and use electrical safety devices.
9) Check the condition of all power cords and devices and repair or replace as necessary.
11) Make sure power is disconnected before working on any electrical device.
12) Use double insulated tools, which put an additional barrier between you and electricity.
13) Use waterproof, dustproof, and even explosion proof electrical boxes, outlets, and motors in uniquely troublesome environments of livestock facilities.
(Funding for this educational article comes from the Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health and the University of Nebraska Medical Center.)
