Man vs Machine

Agriculture ranks #1 as our country’s most dangerous occupation:

• There are 160,000 disabling farm injuries every year
• One in four farm workers are age 16 or younger
• 24,000 children are injured annually in farm related accidents
• Don't let children operate or play near machinery without supervision!

Tractor tragedies:

• Heartbreaking stories start with children riding on fenders in family bonding adventure.
• The fenders break and children are caught under wheels or in the mowers hitched behind.
• Don’t let anyone ride along side on the fender of a tractor!

Tractor rollovers:

• Tractors lacking Rollover Protective Structures can over-turn completely when veering into ditches
• Inexperienced teen drivers or elder drivers with slowed reaction times are at risk for crushing over-turns on back country roads when speeding cars pass by. Faded warning signs add to the risk.
• Be sure that tractors have rollover protective structures
• Update slow moving vehicle signs!

Power take offs:

• PTOs provide tractor power to attached implements via a rotating shaft.
• Clothing, followed by hands or legs can get caught in the rotating shaft.
• Loose clothing & slippery surfaces create risks when working near power take-offs.
• Be sure that power takeoffs are shielded!

Auger injuries:

• Clothing can be caught, then followed by hands or feet as grain moves into storage bins fed by these cork-screw power devices. Tuck in shirt tails and shoe laces!
• Beans can be slippery. They contribute to slips, trips & falls. Sand the cement.
• Keep children far away from running augers!

Corn pickers and hay bailers:

• Both move at the speeds much faster than human reaction times. Limbs are pulled in rapidly.
• Never try to release a clog while these machines are running!

Grain bins:

• Flowing Grain is much like a river with a strong undercurrent. It can easily pull you under.
• Teach children to stay out of grain bins.
• (See article about family of four that almost suffocated in a bin.) Laura where is this?

Car Accidents:

• Remain the #1 cause of accidental harm in rural areas.
• Studies indicate that rural children are less likely to wear seat belts (which greatly minimize trauma).
• Children riding in the back of pick-ups suffer internal and head injuries when they are thrown
• Be a good role model! Wear seat belts and insist that children do too!

Safe Farm Series: University of Iowa Extension ‘97 - National Safety Council Accident Facts ‘98 Journal of Agricultural Health & Safety: Special Issue ’98