With so few official OSHA training regulations for agriculture, you might think that you have covered all your bases in your farm-safety training and meeting OSHA's training requirements. On the contrary, staying current on all OSHA requirements is an ongoing project for you and your safety team.

Safety issues must become a top priority. That means creating a strategy that safeguards your employees’ and managers’ safety and fosters a solid expectation for everyone’s complete compliance with OSHA guidelines. These goals will help establish the foundation of a safety culture that, in turn, could lead to higher productivity and profits for your farm. 

If your agribusiness operation doesn’t present enough opportunity for slips and falls, wait for a snow or ice storm!  Even without a storm, freezing temperatures can create additional hazards due to the freezing of existing wet or muddy areas.  Take time now to identify areas where some additional grading or surface changes could reduce the water or moisture subject to freezing.  Some of these areas include downspouts from roofs, low spots in parking areas, runoff from lots, etc. 

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.

Regular safety meetings play an important role in communicating your company’s safety program information. They are a vital means of providing training for your employees about their workplace hazards and expected safe work habits. Safety meetings are also a great way to provide a quick refresher of previous training and reinforce the safety culture of your operation.

Thank you. It’s not hard to say, but until this time of year, many of us rarely slow down enough to think about what we’re truly thankful for in our lives. Here at Good Days Work, we have so much to be thankful for—our families, our health, the opportunities ahead—the list could go on and on. But, first and foremost, we are thankful for you, the farm families that serve our communities.

Moving materials from one location to another is critical to any agribusiness operation.  The vehicles needed to move product vary almost as much as the drivers on which we rely.  Follow these simple guidelines to improve the safety of your truck operation.

Even though we may be done with harvest, there is still the rush to get fall tillage done, equipment stored, facilities secured for winter and other outdoor activities wrapped up before the snow flies.  We know that the sooner these things are done, the more comfortable we will be when the weather gets unpleasant.

Falls account for most injuries in ag operations.  One of the more dangerous fall hazards faced by farmers and agricultural workers is climbing grain bins.  There are many reasons to climb grain bins; opening or closing manhole covers, moving spouts, replacing belts, checking spreader operation, checking the stirrator, checking grain level, checking grain moisture, monitoring grain quality, just to name a few.

Electrocutions are far too common in agricultural operations, and the push to complete harvest can sometimes cause us to do incomplete repairs or delay repairs that are needed to ensure safety.  Here are a few considerations to protect ourselves and our employees:

Whether cutting firewood, downing trees for lumber, clearing brush or removing storm-damaged trees and branches, chainsaws are designed to make the job faster and easier. They're one of the most powerful hand tools at your disposal  . . .