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Safety Tips
Neil Enns, President of
MFWD says, “When operating agricultural equipment, take a few
moments to assess the job and your situation. It only takes a few
minutes of careful thought to prevent an accident that only takes a
few second to happen!" You can use these simple guidelines to ensure
that you, or any family member don’t get injured.
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Don't wear
loose clothing
when operating equipment. Items such as scarves, unbuttoned
jackets and untied shoes. These can get caught in the machinery
and cause serious injury or fatalities.
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Keep equipment
well maintained.
Make sure all shields and covers are in place. Have the brakes,
lights and four way flashers and signals in good working order.
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Shut the engine
off
before doing any repairs.
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Workplace Safety
and Health Regulations require all farm tractors manufactured
after December 31, 2000 be equipped with Roll Over Protection
Structure (ROPS).
There
is also a requirement that equipment have a seat belt for the
operator. The ROPS requirement does not apply to tractors which
are under 700 kg.
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Watch for
overhead power lines when moving large equipment.
Most overhead power lines have no protective
insulation. Any contact with them could cause serious burns,
injuries, and costly repairs. Protect yourself and others on
your farm. Know your route before you transport tall equipment.
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Wear protective
clothing to suit the job.
Too often an individual will not wear the proper protective gear
for the task at hand. Make sure your protective gear is in good
repair. Chemical resistant jackets, pants, hats, boots, gloves,
approved chemical cartridge respirators and goggles should
always be available on your farm.
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Watch out for
children.
Check around
equipment for children or objects before starting up the engine
and moving it to another location.
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Use safety when
moving bales.
Use tractors with grapple forks
for safely moving large bails. Too often the use of front end
loaders result in an accident with the bale dislodging from the
loader and crushing the operator.
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