Safety First During Harvest Season
Operator stress or error are the cause of most harvest accidents, according to Kent McGuire, an ag health and safety coordinator at Ohio State University. Knowing your limitations both physical and emotional will go a long way to ensuring your safety.
"To reduce fatigue, try to get enough sleep. That’s your body’s time to rest. Pace yourself and plan your day out the best you can, and take short breaks throughout the day," he recommends. "Take five-minutes to get out of a piece of equipment and take a short walk, or just something to get your mind and your body away from the piece of equipment to recharge yourself, and minimize that fatigue factor."1
Equipment and operator safety
Harvest inevitably means long hours spent behind the wheel of heavy machinery, and the safe completion of related tasks depends on both overall knowledge and attentiveness.
Keep in mind these safety tips:
- Take regular breaks to aid in divvying up the monotony of machinery operation.
- Turn off engines, remove keys and wait for all moving parts to stop before getting out of machinery.
- If you are going to eat in the field, climb down from the combine and relax for a little while.
- Keep a jug of water with you to stay hydrated.
- Have someone bring you healthy meals and snacks to boost your energy (they are also there to do a welfare check).
- Dress with both comfort and safety in mind. Wear protective footwear and close-fitting clothes.
- Proper safety gear should be worn at all times around dangerous noise, dust or hazardous materials.
- Turn equipment off before making any repairs or adjustments.
- If you do remove guards and shields for maintenance checks, make sure that you put them back in place! They are there to protect you.
Grain bin safety
Farm workers should all know the hazards of flowing grain and how to prevent a grain entrapment situation. When grain is being unloaded from the bottom of a bin, it flows downward from the top center, creating a funnel effect. If a person is on top of the grain in a bin being unloaded, they can be pulled into the flowing grain within a matter of seconds, likely rendering them helpless and potentially resulting in suffocation. Anybody who works with grain, in any capacity, must be aware of the dangers.
If you must enter a bin, it is vitally important to follow these safety precautions:
- Shut off and lock all unloading equipment before entering a bin.
- When possible, ladders should be installed inside grain bins as emergency exits.
- Avoid entering the bin when possible. A long pole can be used to break up crusted grain instead of having a worker enter the bin. Grain that has crusted can cover open spaces, which likely will not support the weight of a person.
- Wear a harness that is attached to a properly secured rope.
- Stay near the outer wall of the bin. If the grain starts to flow, move to the bin ladder or safety rope as quickly as possible.
- Never enter a bin alone. Have at least one person stand outside the bin, someone who can help you should you become entrapped. It is best to have two people available who are properly trained to follow all safety procedures for entering the bin.
- Wear a dust filter or filter respirator when working in a grain bin, especially while cleaning.
- Do not allow children to play in or around grain bins, wagons or truck beds.
Here are a few additional Harvest Safety Tips from the Penn State Ag Extension that we thought were worth sharing:
Rest and Breaks. During the harvest time, it is very easy for farm family members to not get adequate rest, take breaks, and even eat meals. In order for you to remain alert during harvest, you cannot sacrifice rest and nutrition. When doing fieldwork, take short breaks throughout the day to get out of the tractor to stretch. Stay hydrated and pack nutritious snacks or meals so that you have energy to complete the day's work.
Extra Workers. When it is crunch time during harvest, a person may sometimes accept help from a neighbor, family member, or friend. However, it is important for you to provide that person with farm safety training related to the task that they will be helping with on the farm.
Youth Safety. If you have youth (either your own, hired, or volunteers) working for you during the harvest season, evaluate the job they are doing to ensure they are not taking on more responsibility than they are mentally, cognitively, and physically able to accomplish. Always provide training for youth workers prior to doing any work and check in with them on regular intervals to check on their progress and safety.
Body Mechanics. Not all harvesting is done with tractors and combines. Some fall crops require hand harvesting and heavy lifting. Remember it is better to make multiple trips with lighter loads than to strain your body by lifting or carrying too much. When carrying an object, hold the object as close to your body as possible and lift with your knees rather than your back.
Sleep. Do not ignore your health during the harvest season. As hard as it might be, try to get adequate sleep which will help you rejuvenate from a hard day and prepare you for the next busy day.
Accessing the Tractor. During chopping, a person can get on and off the tractor numerous times to hitch and unhitch wagons. Consider using a hitching system to reduce the number of time you need to get on and off the tractor. If it is unavoidable, maintain 3 points of contact when getting on or off the tractor and avoid jumping off of the tractor or tractor steps to improve your safety and to protect your joints over time.
Personal Protective Equipment. Use personal protective equipment such as ear plugs, gloves, and safety glasses when appropriate.
Traveling on Roadways. Check to make sure that you have the recommended lighting on your tractor and implements especially when traveling in the early mornings or evenings. When possible, avoid traveling on roadways during the busy morning and evening commute times. Use an escort vehicle when necessary.3
Let’s not forget that the rest of us, non-farmers, also have an obligation for safety during harvest season. Rural drivers can expect to share the road with large farm implements. It’s important for drivers and farm equipment operators to remain alert at all times and be considerate of each other. Here are some good driving tips to keep in mind during harvest season.
TIPS FOR RURAL DRIVERS
- Always be on the lookout for farm machinery. Remember that large harvest equipment can unexpectedly turn onto public roads from a field or driveway.
- Farm machinery typically travels at 25 mph or less, so be prepared to slow down in order to avoid a rear-end collision.
- Keep a safe distance. This gives better visibility to both drivers and equipment operators.
- Allow adequate time and distance for farm equipment to make wide turns.
- Just because you see the equipment does not mean the equipment operator sees you.
TIPS FOR PASSING FARM MACHINERY
- Be sure the machinery is not turning left. Look for left turn lights or hand signals. If the machinery slows down and pulls toward the right side of the road, the operator may be preparing to make a wide left turn. Likewise, sometimes to make a wide right turn, the operator must fade to the left.
- Determine whether the road is wide enough for both your vehicle and the farm equipment.
- Check for roadside obstacles such as mailboxes, bridges or road signs that may cause the machinery to move to the center of the road.
- Be sure there is adequate distance for you to safely pass and be on the lookout for oncoming traffic.
TIPS FOR FARM EQUIPMENT OPERATORS
- Check to make sure lighting and flashers are working properly and use them at all times of day.
- Display a slow-moving vehicle (SMV) sign on the back of the implement.
- Be careful of soft edges on the roadway when giving way for oncoming traffic.
- Stay alert at all times, particularly since long hours during harvest can impair your judgment.4
It’s critical that equipment operators are doing routine equipment checks before climbing into the equipment. If you haven’t scheduled you pre-season harvest equipment inspection, call your local Redline Equipment service department, or schedule online: www.RedlineEquipment.com … and don’t forget to schedule your post-season inspection too!
Please do your part to make this a safe and healthy harvest season!
SOURCES:
1 Successful Farming: Safety During Fall Harvest
2 Alltech: Tips for a Safe Harvest
3 Penn State Ag Extension: Fall Harvest Safety Tips by Dennis Murphy, PH.D.