Farm safety

[am1too]

I think this should be a great thread.

Do you have a first aid kit? How long has it been since it was checked?

What about equipment operation safety? Hearing protection, roll bars, gloves, hard hats, chaps, cell phone?

I'm interested in good tips about safety.

And stories about those near misses and the tragic ones.

I heard about a guy trying to break a branch with a FEL. The branch slipped over the loader and smacked him in the head, killing him.

I never used to have problems, but now I'm older and slower (rats). I got a piece of saw dust in my eye while using a bow saw and had to go have it professionally removed. Now I use safety glasses for most everything.

I think I'll check the Co ext Agent for safety classes.

[potatoguru]

We keep a first aid kit in all of our pickups and we always take care to wear eye and ear protection when needed. I've had to go to the doctor with wood chips in my eye, not fun. I'm pretty anal about equipment safety though ever since my uncle had to have his leg amputated after it was mangled by the pto shaft on a hay baler. Oregon requires safety classes for all youth who work with farm equipment on farms that are not owned by family, but the class is available to adults, its offered at the local community college.

[jwal10]

I have prescription safety glasses, they don't cost extra. I do have all the PPE for a pitch fork and shovel. No hearing protection needed. I have never needed to have anything removed from my eye....James

[am1too]

Could a mod please put a f in the thread title word sa_ety.

[Big Dave]

I understood your meaning. Ya have given me food for thought. I do not have a first aid kit in my vehicle. There will be one today. getting old is an ever increasing subject. Maybe because of how many are getting there. I am volunteering as a rural firefighter. In the interview I was told that I could drive the truck or fetch water to the younger folks. At least I can give back in that way to my community. I do not travel without my cell phone close. I mean in my pocket. When I go out in the forest my wife needs to know I can call if I go down. We used to use walkie talkies but the cell phone is a much better idea.

[Jennifer L.]

I think the farmers on here could write books about stories they've heard about, or had happen locally, or have had happen to family members.

Story that I read about that happened to a farmer downstate maybe 15 or 20 years ago: A 64 yo farmer went out Christmas Eve morning with the manure spreader. If you understand spreaders and cold climates you know that you have to clean it out perfectly every time you use it or the apron chains freeze down and when the chains break you've got a miserable mess. So you clean it out perfectly, pop the chains loose the next day you use it, and you're good. If you don't do that, and the chains break with a load on, you have to shovel/fork it off by hand in freezing temperatures before the load freezes on. You leave it on, you're done using the spreader for the winter.

So, here's this 64 year old guy, doing something he's done every day, all winter, probably for the last 45 or maybe even 50 years. He got the load off, climbed into the spreader to clean it out, that he was doing with the power take off running, and either climbing in or climbing out, he fell into the turning shaft. His wife went out after he wasn't back for a few hours and found him dead. On Christmas Eve morning. You bet I remember that one. I think of that guy every Christmas Eve since I heard about it. He broke the absolute cardinal farm rule: Stay away from the PTO shaft when it's running.

Another old guy, farmer all his life, knew his bull would never hurt him, treated him like a pet: Bull killed him.

Another guy, working underneath a hay disc cutter, had his hired man turn the tractor on. Tractor was shut off with the PTO engaged, so the blades started when the engine was started. Guy bled out right there before the EMTs arrived.

Another guy, had old wiring on his 220 volt barn cleaner. He was a young kid, just starting out dairying with an older barn that he hadn't grown up in. Touched the wrong thing, he was electrocuted.

A woman was gored by a cow when was working with her. Cow had just freshened and was protecting her calf. The woman lived, but after emergency surgery.

The last two accidents happened in my county, the one before that in a neighboring county.

The safest you will ever be is by knowing your equipment, keeping it in good shape, not working when you are tired and you know it, and probably most important, not keeping your mind on what you are doing when you are working with dangerous stuff. You let your mind wander and things happen. You work with animals, you don't get yourself into the position where they can hurt you.

This last thing happened on my cousin's farm. The family was out in the pick up truck driving around the fields having fun. Mom and Dad in front, kids in the back. One of the older kids was holding a younger kid on their lap while they sat in a wooden kitchen chair up next to the cab. Truck hit a bump, kid on the lap fell out, and her head was run over by the rear wheel of the truck. She was seven years old and she died.

All farm safety comes down to being and staying alert to what's going on and what you're working with, and not being stupid. And to drill it into your kids as soon as they are cognizant of the idea of being hurt.

The worst part of this post? I could go on and tell more stories about bad things that have happened. You just have to be aware of dangers all the time on a farm.

[rambler]

A great uncle of mine was sawing off a dead branch from up in the tree, sawed a bit, put a chain on it, and pulled with the tractor.

The tree was hollow, rotten, and the whole tree came over from the base, not just the short branch. Fell on the tractor, knocked him off, and the tractor spun over him with the rear wheel.

This was b ack in the day of the steel lug wheels.

They had to pick up the pieces and burry him.

Yes, that is kinda graphic, but it has kept several generations of us from repeating that mistake, get a long enough cable or chain so where ever or however much of a tree falls over, the tractor won't be under it.

Paul

[Wolf mom]

You forgot the first aid kit for our farm animals and pets....

I have a covered bucket labeled animal first aid that I can grab at a moments notice...it includes a battery powered small electric razor (batteries kept in plastic zip lock bag), vet wrap, panty liners, large syringe and the average pet first aid...

[unregistered41671]

One of the worst accidents I have ever heard of, was a family was cutting a large tree trunk from a very large downed oak tree. The root system was huge and out of the ground as it was uprooted by hurricane winds. They had a little girl and she was playing in the hole where the root ball came from. Her father cut the tree from the root ball and the stump went back to the original position. They could not find the little girl for a while and noticed part of her clothing sticking out from under the tree stump.
Know where everyone is at all times when cutting trees, standing or downed.

[DaleK]

Probably the first hurdle is to accept that at some point you're going to get hurt, and all you can do is try to minimize it. People that try to pussyfoot around all the time just go crazy and end up getting hurt even worse.


My latest is a finger crushed in a woodsplitter for 9 stitches and a dead nail. But the nail came off and now it's starting to grow back

[Vosey]

Originally Posted by Wolf mom

You forgot the first aid kit for our farm animals and pets....

I have a covered bucket labeled animal first aid that I can grab at a moments notice...it includes a battery powered small electric razor (batteries kept in plastic zip lock bag), vet wrap, panty liners, large syringe and the average pet first aid...

I have 3 first aid kits; small one in my bag, medium one in the car, large one in the house. Last night 2 of our dogs fought (a rare occurance but still happens with our 9 year old brothers over food!). And I realized we need an animal first aid. The razor is an excellent idea, and not a bad idea for the human one as well as I'm trained in suturing. Not sure how I missed that.

[am1too]

Originally Posted by DaleK

Probably the first hurdle is to accept that at some point you're going to get hurt, and all you can do is try to minimize it. People that try to pussyfoot around all the time just go crazy and end up getting hurt even worse.


My latest is a finger crushed in a woodsplitter for 9 stitches and a dead nail. But the nail came off and now it's starting to grow back

Ouch. Glad it wasn't worse.

[simi-steading]

Don't forget your farm safety signs..

[am1too]

Originally Posted by simi-steading

Don't forget your farm safety signs..

Where can one get such a sign?

[KCFLY]

here:
http://store.agriculturalconsultant....njv61kllhbmn10

or here:

http://www.compliancesigns.com/farm-safety-signs.shtml



I'm sure there are other places...

[am1too]

Originally Posted by KCFLY

here:
http://store.agriculturalconsultant....njv61kllhbmn10

or here:

http://www.compliancesigns.com/farm-safety-signs.shtml



I'm sure there are other places...

Thanks

[am1too]

There is a good thread about wood cutting safety here -

Safety Advice for Wood Cutting