Safety Counts on the Farm
By Justin Petrosino, ANR Extension Educator
OSU Extension, Darke County
While giving a presentation at the Versailles FFA Flower sale on
Saturday morning I mentioned that farmers are delayed with field work
this year. That may be a grievous understatement. According to the
National Agricultural Statistics Service we typically average fifteen
days suitable for field work in April. This year we had five, last year
was twenty days. According to our state Climatologist, Jim Noel, we
will continue to see rain through May, but rainfall patterns will be
more hit and miss (as we normally see). Hopefully these large rains
that cover most of the state will go by the wayside. So what does all
this extra rain mean? Farmers are going to have two to three weeks to
accomplish what they normally have several months to do.
When we are rushed and under that kind of stress it’s pretty easy for
accidents to happen and tempers to flare. The list of potential hazards
on a farm is already staggering, but adding the rush of a short
planting season can increase the likelihood of an accident. What can
our farmers do to minimize their chance of an accident? Let’s talk
about a few things we’ll be working on in the next few weeks.
Once we are ready to be out in the fields we will be applying
pesticides to control weeds, insects and diseases. With applying
chemicals comes a risk to applicators and handlers. The first place to
start with pesticide safety is the label of the product you will be
applying. When you read the label (although most of us skim rather than
read) focus on sections on PPE, first aid and precautionary statements.
Most of us have looked over our equipment five or six times, but have
we looked at our PPE? Do we have the proper PPE, is it in good
condition? Remember a glove is not a glove if it has a hole in it!
While you read the label for PPE requirements make sure to read first
aid information. Accidents do happen. It is better to know how to
respond rather than spending five minutes digging through the label
after you spilled a product on yourself. I’ve had to dig through a
label with one hand while the other is under running water; it’s
not a situation you want to be in. As an added precautionary step when
working with pesticides, make sure someone knows where you are and what
you are working with.
Equipment is another major safety concern this time of year. Whether we
are getting that first cutting of alfalfa or loading corn to take to
the elevator, we are probably working around a PTO. While working
around PTOs and augers make sure all shields and guards are in place
and functional. On cool mornings make sure your extra layers aren’t too
baggy and/or hanging loose. If you put on a hooded sweatshirt before
you leave for the morning, cut the strings off.
In a rushed season most folks will inevitably be working at night.
You’ve spent countless hours staring at equipment in the barn, but did
you check to see if your slow moving vehicle signs were still
reflective? Do all of the road lights on your equipment work? What
about trailer lights? When you work at night sleep definitely suffers.
There have been a few studies published recently on sleep deprivation
and its impacts on health. Did you know that running on only a few
hours of sleep a night for a week can cause symptoms similar to
diabetes, cause memory loss, and even hallucinations? Or did you know
that drinking a single beer on four hours or fewer of sleep the night
before can have the same impact as having a six pack! So when you do
get a chance to celebrate the end of planting season be sure to do it
in the comfort of your own home.
If we don’t live or work on a farm we can still contribute to safety
this time of year. While I was out in Kansas there was a rule about
yielding. Most country roads in Kansas are gravel or dirt and
intersections don’t have stop signs. Whoever has the biggest equipment
wins at the intersection. Many times our research truck loaded down
with a trailer and tractor had to stop and yield to a combine at an
intersection. When driving down a two lane a car or pickup truck can
stop more quickly and safely than a tractor with a planter behind it.
So if you see a tractor coming, give them the right-of-way. With a
little more attention to safety and a little more observation we can
have a safe season.
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