Think safety before starting any job on the farm
Date published:
Preventing accidents
Most farming accidents are avoidable. But tragically, most accidents are caused by things such as habit, haste, fatigue, and improperly-maintained machinery.
Safety must never be an afterthought. By taking just a few minutes to think about the job ahead, accidents can be prevented by using simple safety practices.
Machinery
Poorly used or faulty machinery is a major cause of death and injury on farms.
Farmers come into contact with a host of machinery daily which can bring dangers, such as tractors, combines, choppers and hay balers.
People can be injured by front-end loaders, falling from a moving tractor, or being struck by its wheels.
Also, hands, hair and clothing can be caught by unguarded PTO shafts or other unguarded moving parts, such as pulleys and belts.
Farmers are encouraged to take the appropriate steps before doing any repair work on machinery.
There is safety advice at the following links:
Animals
Livestock can be unpredictable, something that even the most experienced farmer can’t completely plan for.
Handling livestock always involves a risk of injury, and this is increased when an animal becomes frightened or has been startled.
Animals will fiercely defend their food, shelter, territory and young. When frightened or in pain, animals may react in ways that threaten your safety as well as their own.
Although most animal incidents are not fatal, many men, women and children are needlessly injured every year due to a lack of safety awareness.
You can find advice at these links:
Falls
Farming carries an above-average risk of falling accidents. Any fall from height can lead to long-term injuries or sadly even death.
Most accidents of this type happen either because the work is not properly planned, the risks are not recognised, proper precautions are not taken, or the equipment used is either defective, not appropriate, or used incorrectly.
While working at heights is always a risky business, there are several things which can be done to reduce those risks. There is advice at this link:
More farm safety information
You can find out more about farm safety on the links below:
- Farm safety
- Child safety on farms
- Working safely with slurry
- Stay safe, stay alert and stay alive
- Farm safety - stop and think safe
- Farm accident survivor stories
Always take your time to think about what you are doing, as making a few simple checks could actually save a life – maybe your own.