-Farm News file photo
Farm safety is always important, but especially during harvest time. “When moving equipment on rural roadways, farmers should practice defensive driving on the road and when entering and exiting fields. They should not expect rural drivers to respond to the presence of farm equipment in the same manner that they do,” said Steve Freeman, a professor at Iowa State University specializing in agricultural and biosystems engineering.

Now’s the time to gear up for harvest with equipment checks, machinery maintenance and more.

Several ag leaders also recommend producers pay attention to the safety aspects of farming and make sure they’re good to go.

Dan Neenan, director of the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety, said that preventative maintenance should include checking to make sure the slow-moving vehicle sign is intact, retroreflective and clean.

“You want to make yourself as visible as possible and the SMV and lighting is your first line of defense. Power take-off (PTO) shields are a must. Repair shields that become damaged and always walk around the implement; never step over the top of the PTO shaft. Be sure and keep frayed overalls trimmed at the bottom and take the drawstrings out of hooded type sweatshirts so they can’t be grabbed by the PTO,” Neenan said.

Neenan also suggested farmers inform family members what field they’ll be working in at harvest time and, when changing fields, be sure and let them know.

Keep a paper in each farm vehicle and piece of machinery with emergency contact information detailed on it.

“Wear your seat belt in every vehicle that has them. During fall harvest, a farmer wakes up thinking about 100 things that need to get done today if everything goes right,” Neenan said. “If things go wrong, take a few minutes to breathe and think about how you are going to safely fix the issue you are having.”

Steve Freeman with Iowa State University recommended that while farmers are carefully inspecting their equipment to make sure everything is running properly that they closely check all safety guards, lighting and marketing equipment to ensure its in place, clean and functioning properly.

“When moving equipment on rural roadways, farmers should practice defensive driving on the road and when entering and exiting fields. They should not expect rural drivers to respond to the presence of farm equipment in the same manner that they do,” Freeman said. “If moving equipment at dawn or dusk, a buddy vehicle is very helpful in ensuring that other drivers recognize slow moving vehicles.”

Farmers working alone need to keep their cell phones charged and within reach in the event of an emergency, too, Freeman noted.

Denny Friest, Iowa Corn Growers Association president, shared a catch phrase he learned about as a young farmer: “60 seconds for safety.”

“Make sure you handle everything carefully. Accidents happen. Like driving a car — keep your eye on what you’re doing,” Friest said. “If I feel tired, I’ll stop for 15 minutes and take a cat nap. We’re working with a lot of machinery and can’t take anything for granted.”

Friest also reminded producers to be careful when working around grain bins and grain wagons.

Carolyn Sheridan, RN, BSN, COHC, serves as executive director of the Ag Health & Safety Alliance that she founded. She added that farmers should ensure they are prepared with personal protective equipment now and not when they’re in the throes of harvest.

“You need safety glasses and maybe a respirator when blowing out the combine. A new pair of work gloves. Think about what parts of my body might be injured during the course of harvest and how to protect yourself,” Sheridan said. “Don’t forget sunscreen, a sun-safe hat or a shirt, too. Hearing protection is pretty critical with our machines as well.”

As the farming population grows older, Sheridan noted that producers should make sure older helping hands are tasked with chores appropriate for their age and physical health.

“Also make sure they’re taking their medications that might impact their ability to have a good reaction time or be stable,” Sheridan said.

Farmers also should have a check-in system established before combines roll, especially since cell service can be sketchy in rural areas.

“Our cell service doesn’t always work because we have hills on our farms. If you are injured and get help within that first hour, your chances of having a full recovery are much higher,” Sheridan said.

A lot of injuries can be tended to in the field or back at home, so it’s critical that full first-aid kits area readily available.

“Wash small cuts or scrapes, get antibiotic ointment on them to prevent an infection,” Sheridan said. “If you’re unsure if something needs stitches, get it checked out early and not later. Learn how to stop bleeding, too.”

With little ones on the farm, producers and all helping hands should be aware of where they’re at.

“If they are kids or grandkids, make sure there are safe play areas established with rules, and stick to those to make sure kids are safe,” Sheridan said. “As teenagers take on more challenging chores and tasks, make sure they’re staying safe, too.”

She recommended farmers check out the National Farm Medicine Center website’s Farm Mapper tool, which encourages individuals to enter the addresses of their farm ground and the home farm to help emergency responders find individuals more quickly in the event of an accident. It also allows farmers to input data such as locations of chemicals, solvents, fuels and other hazards so emergency workers know what they’re walking into. It also helps identify locations of power and gas cut-off valves, water sources and more.

“I wouldn’t know the address of our farms and in an emergency, someone might blank out on that important piece of information when calling 911,” Sheridan said.

Pat Swanson, District 9 director for the Iowa Soybean Association, recommended farmers look around first before moving equipment and turn machinery off when making any repairs.

“This time of year, we as farmers are gearing up for our ‘super bowl’ of bringing in the harvest.

Our equipment is increasing in size and contains more technology than ever, so being careful to look around before moving it is important for a safe harvest. We make sure equipment safety guards are in good working condition and machinery is turned off when making any repairs. We also make sure any harvest helpers, including our family and friends, are comfortable operating machinery,” Swanson said. “This helps to prevent accidents during a very busy time of year. Farming with care can help stop those mistakes and hazards from occurring in the first place. We appreciate everyone on the roadways being patient with us as we continue moving equipment to our fields safely.”