Farming

May 15, 2008 01:34 pm

— Farmers this week got a grim reminder of the danger they face each day with a new report showing that the number of fatal farm accidents in Indiana tripled last year.
Farm-related accidents killed 24 people in 2007, the highest number since 2000, when 27 people died on Indiana farms.
Among the victims last year was Cass County’s own Paul Davis, who died in October when he fell from a grain bin.
Another was a 64-year-old farmer who was crushed to death as he tried to get his combine out of a ditch in DeKalb County.
Others included an 80-year-old Johnson County man buried under tons of grain in a silo and a 75-year-old Perry County man who died when an all-terrain vehicle overturned while he was checking fences.
This week’s report was a sad reversal of a recent trend, which had seen the number of fatal farm accidents declining. The eight deaths recorded in 2006 rperesented the lowest number since Purdue University’s agricultural safety and health program began keeping track in 1970.
There is no question that farming is a dangerous business. A report from the Indiana Department of Labor calls it the most dangerous job in the state.
It can be safer, though, with a bit of caution and common sense.
Let’s all resolve to make safety our No. 1 priority. With a renewed focus, we can avoid many of the tragedies that befell Indiana’s farmers last year.

Top 10 safety tips
1. Stay alert, and be aware of your surroundings.
2. Account for the mental and physical differences associated with age.
3. Be sure to include hazard and safety lessons when training workers.
4. No seat, no rider, no exceptions. Extra riders can cause distractions and block access to controls.
5. Use hydraulic equipment cautiously, and control operations from the tractor seat only.
6. Never try to unplug equipment while power is engaged.
7. Use safety identification markers, turn signals, flashing lights and/or escort vehicles when driving farm equipment on public roads.
8. Carry a fire extinguisher on every piece of powered equipment.
9. Prepare a safe play area for children away from machinery.
10. Enforce basic safety rules for others, and follow them yourself.
Source: Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture