National Farm Safety and Health Week

167 farm workers are injured on a farm and a worker dies in a farm accident EVERY DAY.

38 children are injured on a farm EVERY DAY and a child dies in a farm accident EVERY THREE DAYS.

Farm safety is important to every farmer and operator.  AGCO® works hard to deliver safe equipment and operating instructions on how to use our equipment most effectively.  In recognition of National Farm Safety and Health week AGCO offers the following guidelines to help make sure EVERYONE stays safe during harvest:

1. Manual and Safety Signs. Read your operator’s manual and safety sign information.  They are packed with information to help you be more productive, increase the life of your equipment and keep you, your family, and workers safe.
2. Maintenance. Keep all machinery serviced and maintained properly.
3. Guards. Make sure all guards and shields are in place and secure.
4. Turn the machine off when not operating. Put equipment in neutral or park, engage parking brake and turn off engine before dismounting. Wait until all mechanisms have stopped moving before attempting to service or unclog a machine.
5. Working under the machine. Lock hydraulic cylinders or support the head prior to working.
6. Crop Debris. Make sure all crop debris is removed at frequent intervals to reduce potential fire hazards and possible equipment damage.
7. Fire Extinguishers. Keep and maintain suitable fire extinguishers on your combine. Make sure they are accessible from the ground.
8. Children. Create a Safe Play Area for children on the farm that has effective adult supervision and safe play activities for children.  Equipment cabs are not safe play areas.
9. Bystanders. Keep bystanders and others away from the equipment operation area.
10. Blind spots. Make sure the area behind the combine is clear before backing.
11. Riders? Limit riders on equipment! Instructional seats are designed for training or diagnosing machine problems.
12. Seat belts. Wear seat belts.  ANYONE in the cab should have his or her seatbelt fastened.  Do not lean against the windshield or rely on it to keep you in the cab.
13. ROPS. Have rollover protective structures fitted on tractors.
14. Towing. Always use safety chains for towed equipment.
15. SMV. Always use a slow moving vehicle sign and flashing amber warning lights on public roads.
16. Road Safety. Never travel left of the center of the road after dark, during poor visibility or when approaching the top of a hill or a curve.
17. Stay alert. Be physically and mentally fit when operating machinery. Fatigue, stress, medication, alcohol and drugs can detract from safe equipment operation. Take breaks.
18. Training. Train all operators to safely operate the equipment.

¹ 2012 Data from CDC website: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/aginjury/

² 2014 Fact Sheet, National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety

For more information see the following websites:

http://www.asse.org/newsroom/safetytips/farm-safety-tips/

http://www.grainsystems.com/products/safety/res-q-tubes.html

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