Nationwide, a U.S. farm insurer tallied up three years of agribusiness claims and released their top 10 commercial agribusiness claims in 2017.  The top 10 list accounted for 50,000+ claims. Leading the list was motor vehicle accidents!  Motor vehicles accidents accounted for more than 20,000 claims.  The most frequent accidents were rear end accidents, backing into vehicles and accidental strike of stationary object. 

Farmers and their equipment share the road with the motoring public. Both have visions on how the road best serves them.  This blog addresses areas a farm manager can control for safe traveling this fall.

What do these infamous calamities have in common: the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and The Challenger Explosion? Each of them happened when the crews had been at work for hours and were sleep deprived and fatigued, leading to the mistakes that caused them. These events serve as tragic reminders that sleep is an essential part of staying safe at work. 

Do you dread the dust from harvest? Do you end up feeling stuffed up, with a runny nose, a cough, and generally crappy? 

 Some of the world’s most disastrous accidents are related to sleep deprivation and fatigue; Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and The Challenger Explosion.  These well-known global catastrophes are a reminder that sleep is utterly crucial.

 When push comes to shove, many of us, when confronted with completing a task will extend our work day by first robbing our sleep time. Our sleep time is simply undervalued. The common link between these 5 disasters are; lowered alertness, inattention, and delayed reaction due to sleep deprivation.                 (also see Harvest Safety - Preventing Fatigue)

Are you dreading breathing in dust this harvest season?  The way it makes you feel crappy, stuffed up, having a runny nose, a cough and affecting your overall health?  It’s certainly understandable.

During harvest, you have a huge amount of work to do within a very short window of time. Put yourself in the best position possible for a safe harvest season by being prepared. Here are some safety tips to think about before harvest and field operations.

Regardless of the crops you grow, harvest season is one of the most hazardous times of the year.  There are a wide range of activities, extensive equipment operation, long hours, dust and chaff, multiple fire hazards, and time pressure that all increase the risk of injury.

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.

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.