Fire is an ever-present concern in many agriculture operations. Every year, 20,000 ag-related fires cause over $100 million in property damages. These types of fires tend to be more expensive than other industrial fires because of the loss in crops and livestock involved, in addition to buildings and equipment.

Per the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA), from 2006 to 2010, there were 830 structure fires in livestock or poultry barns, stockyards and animal pens.  These fires cause millions of dollars in property damage, loss of animals, and injuries and deaths to farmers and farm workers.

Note: The following is an excerpt from an article published in the November 2015 issue of Feedlot Magazine.

Let’s face it. Common sense isn’t so common anymore. We used to hire kids off the farm who would clock in on day one already knowing how to run equipment, work cattle and stay out of the way when things got dicey. Now, we have to teach them everything under the sun and pray they can figure out the rest.                                                                                                 

Unfortunately, in spite of all that, the industry still suffers its share of feedlot accidents. We hear about employees being run over by feed trucks, dragged by horses, thrown off ATVs or pinched while working cattle. Some accidents cause minor injuries and maybe a brief hospital stay, while others lead to devastating fatalities.

The cost of these accidents escalates along with the cost of medical care. By comparison, the average expense of a chainsaw accident in 1985 was about $3,850. Today, it’s around $55,000—not counting lost wages, disability payments, increased insurance costs and lost productivity.