Clemson Agricultural Safety

Month: May 2021

Safety Spotlight – June 2020

May 6, 2021

Mrs. Epperly grew up in Orangeburg, SC where her father owns a tree nursery. She spent a lot of her time growing up doing a multitude of tasks related to the business, piquing her interest in agriculture. After graduating from Clemson, she now teaches Horticulture at Mauldin High School.

How often do you run across the topic of agricultural safety in your position?
HTE: Due to the nature of our classes, agricultural safety comes up every day in the classroom- especially when we do our unit for greenhouse and equipment safety. It is very important to make sure the students understand the importance and necessity for safety in everything that we do.

What do you think is the best way to teach agricultural safety?
HTE: Before working in the greenhouse or with a machine, safety is taught through a lesson plan to show students what they will experience in the situation before it occurs. Generally, hands-on application and explanations help the students learn how to safely operate machines or tools.

Describe the impacts that a safety intervention can have on children.
HTE: Most children do not have the life experience to understand why something is not safe. Having an adult or another authority figure explains the unsafe situation to them, gives them the experience they need to be safe.

How do you approach teaching safety procedures in your classroom?
HTE: I like to teach safety in the classroom through lesson plans before the children are put into a new situation. I find that it’s best to use a hands-on application and be proactive in teaching about safety measures. I am sure to show students every part of any tool or job that could be unsafe and explain how to take certain steps to be safe with the equipment.

Check out @mauldinffa on Instagram to see what some of Mrs. Epperly’s students are up to!

Submitted by Holden Terry Epperly

Safety Information – June 2020

May 6, 2021

Grain Entrapment:
when a person has sunk low enough into grain that they are unable to escape the grain without assistance from another person

Grain Engulfment:
when a person has sunk low enough into grain that their head is below the grain

Safety Spotlight – July 2020

May 6, 2021

Katherine manages three commodity boards at SCDA that are all checkoff programs. She is also the marketing specialist of those three commodities. Katherine’s life has been centered around agriculture, as she comes from a family farm, where she is proud to say she is the third generation. Their family farm has changed over the years as farming has evolved. Her family also owns and operates a small tractor and equipment business. Katherine is proud that her roots run deep in agriculture.

How did you hear about the Ag Safety program?
KH: I am a Clemson Alumni and the program was just beginning when I graduated in 2018. I made sure to stay in the loop and be on the mailing list, as I knew that my profession would be in agriculture. I wanted to keep up with the latest news on ag safety.

How often do you run across the topic of agricultural safety in your position?
KH: Quite often I hear my farmers talking about an employee being injured or they themselves almost experiencing an injury. I mainly work with farmers who are operating large equipment and they often see that their employees are not as safety-oriented as expected of them. It is extremely important for farmers and others in agriculture to be safe, as this is their livelihood and one mistake could change all of that.

What do you think is the biggest concern regarding agricultural safety?
KH: I think the biggest concern regarding agricultural safety, to be blunt, is to not lose a life. So many times we hear of farmers or farm workers losing their lives because of one small mistake. I think it is always extremely important to remain cautious when performing tasks. If someone is not comfortable completing a task or operating a piece of machinery, they most certainly should ask for help or seek further training.

Is there enough being done to teach agricultural safety in our state schools?
KH: I think that the FFA does an amazing job teaching high school students, but there is always a gap. I do believe that there should be outlets for students not involved in FFA or who did not grow up in agricultural settings, to access this important information. A simple safety intervention as an adolescent can be something that they take with them throughout their lives. Being exposed to the dangers in agriculture during a child’s growth in high school can catch their attention and leave them more aware of other situations later in life.

Do you have any advice for the agricultural sector in this time of uncertainty?
KH: As we continue to adjust to what is referred to as the “new normal,” I encourage all of those in the agricultural sector to remain cautious and stay healthy, as farmers and their employees are the ones in charge of our food supply!

Submitted by Katherine Helms

Updates – July 2020

May 6, 2021

Good News!

In last month’s newsletter, we learned some causes for grain entrapment, and the difference between grain entrapment and grain engulfment. Here is a story of two men surviving grain entrapment.

Ag Injury News Report – July 2020

May 6, 2021

AG INJURY NEWS

06/02/2020: Orangeburg County man dies after vehicle strikes tractor

06/05/2020: Wisconsin man dies attempting to pass tractor on roadway

06/08/2020: Missouri man dies from heat exhaustion complications

06/10/2020: North Dakota woman dies in grain engulfment incident

06/17/2020: Young boy injured from tractor accident

06/20/2020: North Carolina crop duster dies after striking dove line

Source: https://www.aginjurynews.org/