Harvest season safety tips

Hello again, friends;

Harvest season is peak time for farm accidents involving farm children. Since we are coming off Farm Safety Week (Sept. 17-23), we want to remind you of the following farm safety tips:

General

• Never allow children to ride as extra passengers on tractors, lawn mowers or other farm equipment.
• Do not let a young person operate a tractor unless they are mature enough, have the physical capability and are versed in operational safety.
• Fall harvest and texting do not mix, turn your cell phone to TTYL (talk to you later).
• Bin safety: Review rules prior to harvest.
• All augers and grain-moving equipment should be turned off before anyone enters a bin.
• Moist grain can form toxic gases and fumes. Bins should be checked for these gases before entering.
• Never go alone into a bin If you must enter the bin, use a secure body harness lifeline.

Tractor safety

• Never leave a running tractor unattended.
• The use of ROPS in conjunction with a seat belt saves lives If your PTO has a damaged or missing shield, replace it before operating the tractor.
• Avoid operating a tractor near ditches, holes, and embankments.
• Never start a tractor inside a closed structure.

Electrical safety

• Keep all power tools, motors and other electrical equipment in good repair.
• Check equipment, cords and plugs frequently for signs of fraying, cracking or scorching and keep all cords neatly secured and out of traffic areas.
• Lock out tag out (LOTO) the fuse or breaker switch if you need to turn off the power, so no one else turns it on while you’re working.
• Don’t cut off the third grounding prong on a plug. The grounding conductor acts as a protection between electrical wire and people or animals near the wire.

This is just a short part of the many farm safety lists available. Please read up on all the farm safety tips you can find before you get busy with harvest. We want to see you back in the office this fall to certify your hay, pasture, wheat and other fall seeded small grains!

That’s all for now,

FSA Andy