Farm safety shouldn’t be a one week each year sort of deal. When you live in an agriculture heavy region, fall signals one of the busiest times of the year with harvest and fall cattle work. While farms have become safer during the last seven decades, with the invention of safety features such as rollover protective structures, farming is still a high-risk industry.
National Farm Safety and Health Week has been recognized annually by every sitting president, since President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued the first proclamation in 1944. The idea is to bring attention to the hazards and risks of farm work.
Whether it is young or inexperienced workers on the farm or the blind spots created on large tractors, situational awareness is the most important prevention method on the farm. As farmers prepare for fall harvest, keep these tips in mind to ensure a safe and successful harvest for everyone:
Stay diligent on the road – and off the cell phone. Be aware of your surroundings at all times, meaning leave the voicemails and texts for when you arrive at your destination. When driving on country roads and highways, keep an eye out and ahead for slower moving farm machinery, machinery that can sometimes take up both lanes of the road. And just a friendly reminder – it is illegal to pass on the shoulder of a road.
Know the risks on your farm and find ways to minimize them with no shortcuts. While we all get caught up in routines, this can lead to complacency which causes mistakes and accidents. Being aware of surroundings and situations at all times is the best way to prevent accidents.
Electrical risks are a huge and nearly forgotten about area in farm settings. Power lines running along a field or near a grain bin can be accidentally bumped with large machinery, setting up the risk of electrocution. Look overhead before and while moving large machinery, using a second person to spot for you if necessary.
We all have someone counting on us during harvest, whether two- or four-legged family members. By slowing down and taking a little extra time, we can all have a safe National Farm Safety and Health Week.