Generally speaking, agriculture doesn’t place enough emphasis on personal protective equipment (PPE).  Failure to use PPE can have devastating consequences in both the short-term and long-term.

We’ve all been there. 

• Not wearing gloves when you know flowing material has sharpened the edges of the equipment you are working on to a razor edge.
• Not wearing goggles when you know the chemical you are using could harm your eyes.
• Purchasing boots without steel toes out of concern for comfort when you know the steel toe version would better protect your feet.
• Not using ear muffs when we are running the chainsaw even though you know your ears will ring for days afterwards.

Few farm experiences compare to the dread of calling a family member or coworker from the cab and telling them, “I’m stuck”.  Equipment stuck in the field is a total disruption of what is already a challenging and difficult season.

When the weather during harvest is good and the crop is ready, it’s hard to stay out of the field if you can run.  As the season progresses, weather delays, equipment problems and other issues that delay harvest can make for long days that stretch the limits of our endurance.  Fatigue can set in, creating an even more hazardous situation around very hazardous equipment.

We need to keep everyone safe during the extended harvest season.  Without adequate sleep we can become irritable, quiet, withdrawn and unfocused.  We can also experience poor memory retention, blurred vision, extended yawning and increased illness due to a compromised immune system.  All these potentially negative outcomes require us to take action to prevent fatigue.

Fires during harvest season are very common and can be caused by a variety of factors.  Though all fires are devastating, fires in the fall have the additional potential of ruining an expensive harvester, burning off a crop that is at full maturity and costly delays to get back to the field.  Some of the most common causes of fires during the harvest season include: 

• Oil and grease mixed with flammable crop residue that has built up around hot engine parts.
• Sparks from exhaust of harvesters, trucks and ATV’s in the field.
• Dry, worn bearings and equipment malfunctions that overheat or cause sparks.
• Hitting rocks or other objects in the field that causes a spark.
• Doing maintenance such as welding, cutting or drilling in a field with dry residue.

Vendors, processors, retailers, lenders and other allied industry in agriculture are requiring more and more audits of our production practices.  One request that is becoming more common is verification that growers and producers of commodities are providing Safety Training to their employees.  Though this is somewhat new to agriculture, these requests are accelerating.  It isn’t just OSHA that is interested in validating your training practices.  These entities see it as another area that they can assure their customers that the food they eat is produced in a sustainable, environmentally-friendly and employee-friendly manner.

Grain bin entrapments are preventable if we follow the right procedures for entering a confined space such as a grain bin. U.S. grain stocks are at an all-time high, we are producing, moving, and storing more grain than anytime in US history.  It stands to reason engulfments, injuries and fatalities may rise if we don’t make a constant commitment to basic safety measures.

Let’s Strive to Keep Children SAFE on the farm and with “A Legacy to be Proud of!”

The International Society for Agricultural Safety and Health (ISASH) devotes Wednesday of Farm Safety and Health week to keeping children on farms, ranches and in rural areas safe and healthy. Let’s leave our children with “A Legacy to be Proud of!”

Sadly, the statistics are devastating! On average, every day 3 childrren die and 33 children are injured due to agricultural-related incidents. Protecting our future generation needs to be a top priority! Following these 3 tips can help protect our future generation of farmers.

Next week, while farmers continue or begin harvest, we pause and reflect on the importance of safety on farms and farm-related businesses. Although we believe that farm safety should be preached every single day, it’s important to help our industry advocate continually for safe agriculture practices.

Good Day’s Work is excited to celebrate National Farm Safety Week this year, and we hope that you will do what you can to join us in our mission to promote a safer environment in agriculture.  Farm injuries and fatalities are preventable through education, and this awareness week serves as a good reminder to rural communities that agriculture is one of the most dangerous occupations in the U.S.

The theme “Farm Safety…A Legacy to be Proud of ” reminds local and rural communities that agriculture is one of the most dangerous occupations in the U.S. The most recent data from the U.S. Department of Labor indicates that in 2014 farming accounted for 568 fatalities, with an estimated 70,000 injuries.

Now is a great time to assess manure pit dangers and bone up on identifying hazardous gases as fall approaches. Many deaths happen late summer and fall when crops come off and producers are emptying pits. Everyone who works in or around manure storage (tanks, pits & lagoons) should understand manure gas hazards.   A good resource for information is the Great Plains Center for Agriculture Health fact sheets at www.gpcah.org.