Showcases

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To book an event, please contact us at the office (204-436-3181). Before contacting us, please review our Showcases below, and complete our Event Worksheet to establish your needs for each particular event. We will confirm availability as soon as we receive the completed form. The worksheet is available as an On-Line version as well as a Printable, mail-in version.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS - 2010 NEW FARM SAFETY SHOWCASES

A special thanks to The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association and to the following businesses for their financial support of the four new showcases: grain suffocation, tractor roll over, auger safety, and combine safety.

Austin Credit Union, BSI Insurance Brokers, Can Oat Milling, Canadian Wheat Board, Dairy Farmers of Manitoba,  Federated Co-op, Meridan Industries and Starbuck Credit Union.

Grain Bin Safety:

In this showcase, the Grain Bins are set up on a circular system that continues to pour grain into the bin. Clear Plexiglas allows the viewer to see what happens when a person gets caught in the grain.

People can become caught or trapped in grain in three different ways: the collapse of bridged grain, the collapse of a vertical wall of grain, and entrapment in flowing grain. Moving or flowing grain is involved in all three. People who work with grain - loading it, unloading it, and moving it from bin to bin need to know about the hazards of flowing grain and how to prevent a grain entrapment situation.

Safety Precautions:

• Children should not be permitted to work or play in an area where there is flowing grain. It is dangerous to people of all ages, especially children

• Never enter a grain bin alone; have at least two people at the bin to assist in case problems arise.

• Use a safety harness or safety line when entering the bin.

• Control the access to grain storage facilities to prevent grain entrapments. (Keep ladders up and locked so that children cannot climb up the bin.)

Farm Machinery Safety:

This showcase has 3 pieces of familiar farm machinery: Combine, Tractor, and PTO. Each piece of machinery will provide opportunity to question where the hazards might be and what precautions should taken to prevent an incident. Click an image to enlarge.

Combine Safety:

The Combine is set up to point out the areas where the driver does not have a clear visual. It is unsafe to attempt to walk up to someone operating a combine.

• Always walk around the equipment before starting it up.

• Never work on machinery with the motor running.

• Children are never to approach a combine in the field.

• A combine is not a play structure.

• No second riders.

PTO Safety:

A tractor is set up with a PTO. This is a running model powered by a 18V battery to demonstrate how quickly clothing can get caught. The shaft turns at a rapid pace and can grab long hair, loose clothing, shoelaces, rope and twine with disastrous results. Should you survive an encounter with a PTO or PTO shaft, you will very likely have lost one or more limbs.

• Never work on machinery with the motor running.

• Children should never be near a running PTO.

• Stay clear of a spinning PTO or PTO shaft and never operate them without all shields in place.

Tractor Safety:

Tractors are inherently dangerous, and accidents involving tractors have claimed thousands of lives and caused many more injuries over the years. There are two tractors for this demonstration. One has no protective equipment and the other does. Each tractor is run along an incline to imitate a roll-over. It is very easy to identify the hazards.

• Read and understand all the safety information in the manuals that accompany your tractor before you attempt to operate it.

• If you do not understand the operation of the tractor -Ask for proper instruction.

• Install Roll Over Protection System (ROPS). Never operate the tractor without your seatbelt fastened .

• Exercise extreme caution when operating on slopes and when making turns, especially if the tractor is equipped with heavy implements on the 3-point hitch or front-end loader.

Farm Machinery Showcase

Safety Around Combines

Tractor With Roll Bar & Seatbelt and Tractor Rollover With Safety Features

Tractor Rollover Accident

PTO Safety (Stand-Alone Showcase)

A tractor is set up with a PTO. This is a running model powered by a 9V battery to demonstrate how quickly clothing can get caught. The shaft turns at a rapid pace and can grab long hair, loose clothing, shoelaces, rope and twine with disastrous results. Should you survive an encounter with a PTO or PTO shaft, you will very likely have lost one or more limbs. Click an image to enlarge.

• Never work on machinery with the motor running.

• Children should never be near a running PTO.

• Stay clear of a spinning PTO or PTO shaft and never operate them without all shields in place.

Grain Auger Safety

The first important rule is to ensure that everyone who operates an auger knows and understands the risks before operating the equipment. It only takes a few minutes to look over your equipment before turning it on and saves a lifetime of regret. Here are some important tip provided by The Canadian Federation of Agricultural published for Canadian Agricultural Safety Week (Fact Sheet #1, March, 2007).

Always leave shields in place. When shields are in place and undamaged, there is much less opportunity to become entangled with moving parts. Likewise, intake screens at the base of the auger help prevent hands and feet from becoming caught between the auger screw and tube. Keep children away from operating grain augers!

Start grain augers safely. A safe auger has a clutch and starter. Some older grain augers are powered by small gasoline engines that don’t have a clutch or starter and are started by pulling on the vee-belt drive – AN EXTREMELY UNSAFE PRACTICE.! This method is a clear invitation to injury as the a person can get caught in the belt and pulley. Augers with this start-up procedure should be retrofitted with a clutch and starter, either rope or electric.

Empty the auger before stopping it. An empty grain auger is always easier to start than a full one. It is also safer. A full or partially full auger may be top-heavy and can flip if moved, causing injury to the operator or bystanders and damage to the machine. Except in emergency situations, always let the auger rattle empty before stopping it.

Be careful when moving augers. Always look up! Overhead electric power lines are commonly found at many bin sites. When an auger comes in contact with overhead electrical wires and your body or the machine that you are driving completes the circuit to the ground, there is likely to be an electrocution. Always look up when moving grain augers, and whenever possible, have someone else watch the power line clearance.

Adjust grain auger height carefully. There is a limit as to how high a grain auger can safely be raised. Most augers have a track that the upper supports slide on as the height is adjusted. Many augers do not have stops at the ends of the track. When the upper supports come to the end of the track or guide, the auger may come down – fast! Fatal injuries have resulted from this type of situation. Install stops at the ends of your auger’s track if they are not there. Never raise an auger beyond its recommended height – use a longer auger if more height is needed.

Don’t try to grab the crank. If the height-adjustment crank should get out of your grasp while adjusting the auger, do not attempt to stop it or grab for it. LET IT GO! Many broken arms and wrists have resulted from attempts to grab a spinning crank.

Set up carefully and block the wheels. A grain auger can roll or move as it is running and fills with grain. Always secure grain augers in place by placing blocks in front of and behind the wheels to prevent it from moving. Anchor the bottom end of the auger to the ground, too. The auger must be placed on level ground and completely stable if it is to be safe.

Other Precautions. Be sure to wear close fitting clothing when working near a grain auger. Loose, floppy clothing and long bootlaces will easily become entangled in rotating parts. Entangled clothing will pull the body into the moving machinery and severe injury will result.

Limit the number of people around the auger when in use. Only those who are essential to the job should be there – no visitors or bystanders.

Always stop the machinery when debris (straw, chaff, etc.) begins to be a problem. Never use your hands or feet to remove debris from moving machinery.

 

 

Grain augers are very useful, labour-saving machines. They are also very hazardous when not safely operated and maintained. The CFA along with FCC, CASA, and AAFC want to remind Canadian farmers to “Protect your moving parts!” by taking these precautions to reduce the chance of injury on your farm. Safety practices are always cheap accident insurance.

To download this and other articles on safety tips visit web sites

www.cfa-fca.ca or www.casa-acsa.ca

Animal Handling Safety

The Safety Animal Showcase features safety methods that are used in cattle handling by the Manitoba agricultural industry. Livestock related deaths and injuries are a major problem. Approximately 20% of all farm injuries serious enough to need hospitalization are livestock related. Children are the most at risk of agricultural accidents. 17% of agricultural related deaths are children and youth under 20 years of age. Click an image to enlarge.

UNSAFE Coral:

What is unsafe about this coral and how the animals are being handled?

• The man with the horse is tied with a rope– injury can result with loss of hand or fingers.

•  A dog is in the coral causing the animals to panic. If you have a dog do not have it near animals. Some have herding collies that are used in the field. Not to be in a closed in space such as we have here.

•  Fencing is in poor repair. Cow in her panic to get away from the dog has attempted to jump the fence. Injury to the animal is costly.

SAFE - Calving Pen:

What is safe about this calving pen?

• Cow and calf are together which reduces stress on both animals. Cows can be aggressive when protecting their young.

• The person is safe because the cow is restrained.

• Remember to where rubber gloves if the animal is ill or injured.

Tractor carrying a bale:

What is unsafe about this operation?

• Man is not dressed safely - Dress appropriately when working: leather gloves, steel-toed boots with metatarsal guards (or metal protectors that tie onto soft shoes).

• Tractor has no roll bar or safety belts. – The bale can become unbalance if he hit a bump and roll onto him. (Demonstrate bale falling off).

In 2006 – 2007 there were two injuries and 1 death resulting from improper bale transport.