20 farm-safety tips for 2020

The harvest can be a particularly busy and dangerous time for farmers, which is why National Farm Safety and Health Week is held every fall. This year, the campaign takes place from September 20 to 26 and promotes the theme Every Farmer Counts. To help you assess your habits, here are 20 tips for safer farming.

Personal
1. Learn basic first aid including CPR and emergency response skills.

2. Use personal protective equipment as needed including gloves, boots, hearing protection, face masks, and respirators.

3. Teach everyone who lives and works on your farm, as well as visitors, the appropriate safety procedures.

4. Avoid wearing loose clothing when working in confined spaces such as grain bins, silos, and hoppers.

5. Get plenty of rest, and be sure to stay hydrated and nourished throughout the day.

Tractors
6. Perform safety and maintenance checks on tractors and other machines before every use.

7. Install a rollover protection structure on each tractor.

8. Use a seatbelt when operating farm equipment.

9. Prohibit additional riders on tractors.

10. Drive safely both on and off the farm.

Chemicals
11. Be cautious around dangerous chemicals such as anhydrous ammonia, carbon monoxide, methane gas and hydrogen sulfide.

12. Store farm chemicals away from children and livestock.

13. Make a list of all chemicals on the premises for firefighters to reference in the event of an incident.

Livestock
14. Treat livestock with respect and caution.

15. Understand the flight zones of the animals you handle.

16. In confined spaces, make sure you have an exit strategy.

Grain
17. Keep bins, beds, and wagons of grain safely covered and out of the reach of children and animals.

18. Make sure no grain is flowing before you enter a bin, and always have a rope, safety harness, and two people with you.

19. To prevent fires, make sure areas with grain dust are properly ventilated and limit potential ignition sources.

20. If someone becomes submerged in grain, call 911, and don’t attempt to go in after them.

In addition to these 20 tips, be sure to have an emergency response plan specific to your operation. It should include shutdown procedures, emergency contact information (local fire department, police, etc.), and lockout procedures.