Things that would improve farm safety ?

woodster · Apr 6, 2021

Lofty1984 said:
Yes but then they’d charge a ridiculous amount for an optional extra and no one would bother

I've got one of the big bag openers that are on the Yara rewards gift list, it's telescopic (out to about 1m) so lives in the cab when needed and is the sharpest tools I have ever used, cuts through the layers of plastic and stitched seams in the bottom of a bag like butter. Not sure if you can buy them elsewhere but can't recommend it enough

Ffermer Bach · Apr 6, 2021

Simon Chiles said:
Having sat on the HSE board for Agriculture for a few years I think I ought to point out a few facts although I ought to stress that these were a few years ago and might be slightly out of date.
Firstly the no.1 risk in rural locations is unmanned level crossings. There is an incident nearly every day, obviously most don’t lead to an accident but are reported by train drivers as being a near miss.
Secondly, for those calling for limiting tractor speeds, the most common on highway fatalities involving tractors are caused by Ag vehicles being rear ended on dual carriageways.
The most common cause of accidents involving kids are falling objects, especially bales, farm yards aren’t a playground and I always get very nervous when I see kids in them.
As far as I understand, the figures ( I don’t think they have been officially released yet ) have risen significantly in the last year.

I have always said, if a farm yard were a building site, it would be fenced off with Heras Fencing, have a traffic management plan (possible one way system), fenced off pedestrian footways, high vis must be worn and induction before entering. But we have houses in the middle of them, and footpaths running through them often!

woodster · Apr 6, 2021

Clive said:
my point was are HSE doing enough inspecting ?

I suppose one of the problems is the way the HSE offer you the chance to go on a course or be inspected. Anyone can go on a course, implementing what you have been taught is another matter. Most farmers I know that have done the courses have done so to avoid inspection!

Farmer Roy · Apr 6, 2021

Chae1 said:
Sure I've seen you under ton bags of seed with a loader tractor holding them up.

yes, I use them all the time for seed

but I’ve assessed my risk & consider the bags & my loader safe & I don’t walk under them or put myself in a position where I may be crushed or trapped

I was just responding to others concerns - if they don’t think they are safe, then don’t use them or change the way you do use them. Simple

Hilly · Apr 6, 2021

I have dvd I bought about 15 years ago called two thousand mile harvest by Dylan winter , you will likely all got it or seen it , the big thing that stuck in my mind was the custom cutter said he has a no reverse rule ! Any accidents was nearly always when machines were in reverse ! Everytime I put my tractor in reverse I picture that guy saying that

Clive · Apr 6, 2021

Hfd Cattle said:
Maximum hrs working week will not work .
Cow in trouble calving but I've already done my 48 hrs ?
Imagine a baler man driving out of the field with half the field baled cos his hrs were up !

imagine the baler man loosing an arm or his life ?

some seem to farm without working crazy hours so why can’t we all learn how to reorganise to do so

tiredness and lack of concentration are big killers

Ffermer Bach · Apr 6, 2021

Hilly said:
I have dvd I bought about 15 years ago called two thousand mile harvest by Dylan winter , you will likely all got it or seen it , the big thing that stuck in my mind was the custom cutter said he has a no reverse rule ! Any accidents was nearly always when machines were in reverse ! Everytime I put my tractor in reverse I picture that guy saying that

I am sure I have heard of large building sites with a no reverse rule without a banksman guiding you back, I remember working on a farm in Stow on the wold, and the foreman telling me "watch the loader driver, he has to look behind him on the first load when loading a lorry with grain, after he has got his line, a good driver never has to look behind again"!!!

Clive · Apr 6, 2021

Hampton said:
No children in the farmyard if staff are working.
It’s fine to have a wander around the cattle with mum and dad on a Sunday morning when work is finished, but it’s not a play area when the workman is driving the straw chopper around or the telehandler

we have this rule - even my own kids are only allowed in the farm yard under adult supervision

not so easy if the farmhouse is in the farm yard however

Hilly · Apr 6, 2021

Ffermer Bach said:
I am sure I have heard of large building sites with a no reverse rule without a banksman guiding you back, I remember working on a farm in Stow on the wold, and the foreman telling me "watch the loader driver, he has to look behind him on the first load when loading a lorry with grain, after he has got his line, a good driver never has to look behind again"!!!

It certainly struck a cord with me I always try and do jobs with as little reversing as poss , bit daft Cos often impossible but it makes you think and makes you think what’s behind you.

Clive · Apr 6, 2021

Simon Chiles said:
Having sat on the HSE board for Agriculture for a few years I think I ought to point out a few facts although I ought to stress that these were a few years ago and might be slightly out of date.
Firstly the no.1 risk in rural locations is unmanned level crossings. There is an incident nearly every day, obviously most don’t lead to an accident but are reported by train drivers as being a near miss.
Secondly, for those calling for limiting tractor speeds, the most common on highway fatalities involving tractors are caused by Ag vehicles being rear ended on dual carriageways.
The most common cause of accidents involving kids are falling objects, especially bales, farm yards aren’t a playground and I always get very nervous when I see kids in them.
As far as I understand, the figures ( I don’t think they have been officially released yet ) have risen significantly in the last year.

Interesting - the only fatal and bad tractor road accidents i’ve heard of around here are due to low speed - tractors being rear ended on the a38

its why the police do not enforce speed limits in tractors and why we would never dare use one that could not do at least 55kph

Treg · Apr 6, 2021

Goweresque said:
My father never worked Sundays on religious grounds, apart from essential stuff like cattle feeding. No other farm work was ever done on Sunday, even in summer when hay was being made. He always got everything done.

I still farm like that , mainly for religious reasons but also for family.

woodster · Apr 6, 2021

Ffermer Bach said:
I have always said, if a farm yard were a building site, it would be fenced off with Heras Fencing, have a traffic management plan (possible one way system), fenced off pedestrian footways, high vis must be worn and induction before entering. But we have houses in the middle of them, and footpaths running through them often!

Agreed, 2 of my neighbours have a bridlepath straight through the middle of their yards, you can bet the rights of way 'police' would object if they tried to divert the paths away from the yards though

Derrick Hughes · Apr 6, 2021

Having just got on a Loadal with a rear view camera I am thinking, wow I must have one

Clive · Apr 6, 2021

Rob Holmes said:

great idea that !

TheTallGuy · Apr 6, 2021

The biggest safety change we can make as an industry is S.A.T. - Stop And Think! Before starting a JOB - SAT, before getting in or out of a cab - SAT, before passing through that gate - SAT, before getting in amongst animals - SAT. Pretty much before doing anything or whenever there's a change of situation - SAT!

By stopping for a moment to stop and think about what you are about to do and what the hazards are, you are far more likely to to take a more measured approach to the work at hand.

fudge · Apr 6, 2021

Clive said:
Interesting - the only fatal and bad tractor road accidents i’ve heard of around here are due to low speed - tractors being rear ended on the a38

its why the police do not enforce speed limits in tractors and why we would never dare use one that could not do at east 55kph

Probably a good point. However overloading has been a contributing factor in a lot of accidents. One look at the wreckers thread on this forum confirms this. High speed tractors, fendts do 65kph, are moving agricultural haulage ever nearer hgv territory so why no hgv license and tachograph? Why no enforcement of the weight limits?

Clive · Apr 6, 2021

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fudge said:
Probably a good point. However overloading has been a contributing factor in a lot of accidents. One look at the wreckers thread on this forum confirms this. High speed tractors, fendts do 65kph, are moving agricultural haulage ever nearer hgv territory so why no hgv license and tachograph? Why no enforcement of the weight limits?

i would be happy to see the higher speed and heavier stuff require mot and even additional licenses

as you say its no much different to trucks and they do require this so why are farms different ? - no logic there really !

Clive · Apr 6, 2021

anyone know why we are allowed to use 240v power tools in ag whwn other industries are not ?

who ever suggested such a exception and why ? can farmers withstand higher voltage shocks ?

Treg · Apr 6, 2021

capfits said:
Long hours lead to crap decision making and affects your health more than folk realise.

I think that sums up why the majority of farm accidents happen.
Maybe there should be a accident thread @Clive ? I told a neighbour once about a story of a farmer having a round bale spike go through him because the tractor rolled fourth when he cut open the round bale, neighbour went quiet and then said several times he'd cut open a bale & turned to see the tractor rolling towards him

we then had a chat how he could do it in a safer way...he's still here so must of helped.

Derrick Hughes · Apr 6, 2021

TheTallGuy said:
The biggest safety change we can make as an industry is S.A.T. - Stop And Think! Before starting a JOB - SAT, before getting in or out of a cab - SAT, before passing through that gate - SAT, before getting in amongst animals - SAT. Pretty much before doing anything or whenever there's a change of situation - SAT!

By stopping for a moment to stop and think about what you are about to do and what the hazards are, you are far more likely to to take a more measured approach to the work at hand.

The biggest cause of accidents on farms would be livestock related. Comprising mainly i would think of those who don't know the risks and those who don't stop and think about the risk. Cows that have just calved being one of the major risks

Things that would improve farm safety ?

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0 %

Up to 25%

25-50%

50-75%

75-100%

100% I’ve had enough of farming!

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