Harvest season is one of the busiest and most dangerous times of year on the farm. Long hours, heavy equipment, and the pressure and stress to quickly harvest your crops drastically increase the risk of agricultural incidents occurring around the farm. Remember to review safety material before you begin harvest season to keep yourself and others working on the farm safe. While this takes extra time, this loss in time outweighs the loss in time if an incident occurs.
Equipment Safety
Combines and Tractors
Always shut off the equipment before unclogging or servicing the equipment. PTOs and headers can easily be engaged by accident and you should never be near them while they are in operation!
Always be on the lookout for entanglement hazards around belts, pulleys, and augers. Often, these are moving at rapid speeds and will not stop turning just because you or your clothing is caught in them!
While guards and shields can often get in the way during servicing, make sure they are all in place before operating the equipment. These guards and shields are there to keep you out of dangerous areas!
When mounting and dismounting equipment, always have 3 points of contact. Slips and falls from equipment are some of the most common ways people on the farm get hurt, and they are very avoidable if you use the proper processes.
Grain Carts and Wagons
You should never allow additional riders to ride along unless there is a designated seat for them. Young children oftentimes will want to ride along, if there is not a designated seat, it is extremely easy for them to fall off of the equipment.
Always check hitch pins and safety chains before moving.
Be mindful that every piece of equipment has blindspots. Check your surroundings when unloading and pulling into high traffic areas.
Grain Handling Safety
You should never enter a grain bin unless it is absolutely necessary. If you must enter a bin, follow the steps below.
Always use proper lockout/tagout procedures. This ensures that augers and other mechanical equipment can not be turned on while you are in the bin. During flowing grain situations, it only takes about 22 seconds to become completely submerged in grain!
Use a harness and lifeline. This can help save your life if grain begins to flow unexpectly.
Always have two other people with you if you must enter a bin. One person should be on the top of the bin, looking in on you, and the second person should be on the ground in the event that an entrapment or engulfment occurs.
Fatigue and Stress Managment
Long hours on the farm can reduce your alertness. Make sure you are getting adequate sleep to rest and recharge before returning to work on the farm.
If possible, rotate tasks between people. After completing a task for many hours, we tend to get complacent. Once we get complacent, we often forget about the safety concerns, and cut corners. Most incidents on the farm occur because of complacency.
When you are tired, your decision making ability is impaired. It is important to not make important and life saving decisions while you are fatigued.
Roadway Safety
Always make sure you have your slow-moving vehicle (SMV) sign on equipment that is traveling less than 25 mph. This alters others on the roadway that you are traveling at a slow speed.
Always engage your flashers before operating equipment on roadways. This makes you more visible to approaching vehicles.
If possible, travel on roadways during daylight hours and during less busy times on the roadways. This will make you more visible to drives and reduce the number of drivers you encounter on roadways.
Use escort vehicles when possible. This can help manage how close other verhicles on the road can get near you and limit some passing by impatient drivers.
Youth and Extra Workers
Ensure that everyone is trained before they operate equipment or assist with tasks during harvest season.
Never let untrained youth operate heavy equipment. Ensure that they are the right size for the tasks you assign them. Youth have less strength than adults and are often shorter. Make sure the task fits their build.
Always provide clear instructions and supervision!
