While reading through a few online dairy herd management publications, it is obvious that one of the hot topics is a renewed interest in farm accident research. Safety and accident prevention are growing concerns following the continuing reports in the industry of farm injuries and fatalities. Shortly after perusing the internet, I received a monthly update report from the NY State Department of Health on occupational fatalities. Agricultural workers are only about 2% of the general US population. Last month’s data posted in the Ag Informer, included one farm injury and a skid steer fatality. This month’s report (see table below) had two more farm injuries. The top five could all happen on farms. Anne Marie Gibson of the NY State Department of Health informed me that there have been three farm fatalities since the beginning of the year and it is only April! The most common causes of injury or death are: machinery failures, frozen PTOs in winter, tractor rollovers, and encounters with animals.
It’s that time of year again when we are repairing equipment and we are coming into cropping season. I grew up on a dairy farm in what I thought were the good old days when shields and guards got bent, broken, or just plan in the way so we didn’t have any. Every job was about getting it done fast and making due with whatever you had. Now that I teach young people how to be safe through the Hazardous Occupations Safety Training in Agriculture “HOSTA” program, I have a different outlook on those experiences. Boy we were lucky! Take your time to make things safe while working or it could be the last thing you do.
Photo Credit: Thomas Mues via Compfight
For information on the HOSTA, tractor safety program or any other agricultural questions contact:
Kirk Shoen
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rensselaer County
kjs264@cornell.edu
(518) 272-4210
