RURAL MUTUAL

Timing is everything with fall harvest. Sometimes Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate adding pressure to a short time frame that can make or break the year. Remind your family and employees about these safety tips to make sure you have a safe and productive harvest.

Many roadway accidents involving farm equipment happen at dawn and dusk. Ensure that all equipment is properly placarded with a Department of Transportation slow-moving vehicle sign and appropriate yellow warning lights. The Wisconsin DOT provides a quick resource to determine what safety precautions are required for your situation at wisconsindot.gov/Pages/dmv/ agri-eq-veh/ag-veh-safety.aspx.

If possible, have someone follow in a truck equipped with yellow warning lights to act as an escort vehicle. The escort vehicle should maintain a safe following distance behind the equipment to provide the operator with a buffer from other vehicles approaching too closely.

Do you have a tractor that isn’t equipped with rollover protection? Did you know there is a rebate program that will cover 70 percent (up to $865) for the purchase and installation? For more information, visit the National Farm Medicine Center Rollover Protection Structure Rebate Program at marshfieldresearch.org/nfmc/rops.

Every year we see claims related to pulling out equipment mired in a field. Some are simply for damaged vehicles when the chain or strap snaps, others are more serious.

Think about investing in a device like the Safe-T-Pull (safe-t-pull.net). This is a positive attachment device that not only eliminates the failure potential of a rope, chain or sling; but eliminates the need for employees to get out of the vehicle to hook and unhook. This helps avoid slips, trips or falls that we see regularly from workers getting in or out of vehicles.

If you must use something else, never use a chain. The repeated use of a chain weakens it to an unpredictable breaking point with disastrous results. Using a wide-belted sling or strap, positioned as close to the stricken vehicle as possible, using a steady pull instead of jerking the slack out and placing a heavy mat over the center portion of the sling or strap to weight it down if it does come undone are ways to avoid serious injury.

Lockout/Tagout is a process you should know to ensure that potential energy sources have been isolated and rendered inoperative. Potential energy sources include electrical power, hydraulic pressure, pneumatic pressure, thermal energy, gas (energy potential as well as oxygen displacement or toxicity), gravity or mechanical (springs, belts and other moving parts).

Never work on equipment until it has been completely powered down, pressures bleed off and parts have stopped moving. Take measures to secure the power sources involved to ensure the equipment can’t be accidentally or intentionally started while servicing it. Once these measures have been taken, attempt to restart the equipment to ensure it can’t be down. On equipment using hydraulics to move parts, use blocks to secure these components so after the equipment is powered down, it does not unintentionally move parts when pressure has been bled off.

Communicate what you are doing to others onsite to ensure someone doesn’t inadvertently place a piece of equipment back into service before its ready.

When working with grain elevators, conveyors or other fixed equipment, use padlocks and tags to secure power sources.

Make sure that when equipment is in operation, appropriate guards are in place and operators are not wearing loose- fitting clothing.

Ensure hay is within the proper moisture content range based on the type of hay and baling method. Bales should be probed to test for above-normal temperatures. Temperatures up to 140°F are acceptable, however, once temperatures exceed 150°F, steps should be taken to provide better air circulation.

Once temperatures exceed 175°F, a fire is imminent or already present near the probe. Call 911 and have the fire department on hand before moving hay bales. A temperature in excess of 200°F indicates a fire is present at or near the probe.