Farm accidents claim four lives in three weeks

[Skintagain]

All of those things are your property and your responsibility - the dynamics change slightly when you sell them to other people or expect/pay other people to use them.

There is a middle ground.

I don’t think he made his car and his guns

 

[manhill]

Who stands under a bag of fert to cut it?.A sharp knife drawn across the bottom gradually releases the prill. Is the danger to do with the loader failing or the contents burying your arm? How risky is this operation on a scale of1/10,000?

 

[Skintagain]

Who stands under a bag of fert to cut it?.A sharp knife drawn across the bottom gradually releases the prill. Is the danger to do with the loader failing or the contents burying your arm? How risky is this operation on a scale of1/10,000?

More the bag breaks and squashes your arm or your body

 

[Cowabunga]

Who stands under a bag of fert to cut it?.A sharp knife drawn across the bottom gradually releases the prill. Is the danger to do with the loader failing or the contents burying your arm? How risky is this operation on a scale of1/10,000?

It is a foreseeable and avoidable risk. To a person that doesn’t see that risk, I would say that is an indication of themselves being a risk to my business if they worked here. So they would not work here. Risks such as this and falling through roofs are easily avoidable.

 

[manhill]

More the bag breaks and squashes your arm or your body

is a bag break common? I can't visualise the injury.

 

[mayos]

Who stands under a bag of fert to cut it?.A sharp knife drawn across the bottom gradually releases the prill. Is the danger to do with the loader failing or the contents burying your arm? How risky is this operation on a scale of1/10,000?

More the bag breaks and squashes your arm or your body

This is the whole point of the risk assessment.

How often does the bag break - 1-1000 or 1-10000? And what is the likely outcome? Squashed to death? Broken arm? Damaged spreader?
For that risk is it practical to go to a bulk handling system? Maybe. For that risk is it practical to invent a knife on a stick? Almost definately.

How often does the loader fail? 1-100000? 1-1000000? what's the outcome of that? Dead? Proper buggered for the rest of your life?
so what's an acceptable mitigation? Bulk seed/fert? Loader stops fitted every time you go under the loader? A method of emptying that means you stay in the machine? A knife on a stick so you don't have to stand under it?

 

[Cowabunga]

is a bag break common? I can't visualise the injury.

No accident is actually common or people would be dying like flies.

 

[roscoe erf]

is a bag break common? I can't visualise the injury.

been moving tons and tons of fert in these bags over the years and never seen one break seen plenty get damaged by dragging out of the lorry

 

[Highland Mule]

been moving tons and tons of fert in these bags over the years and never seen one break seen plenty get damaged by dragging out of the lorry

And if you don't notice the damage and the strap goes on to break, or if you don't notice that there are two straps looped with a cable tie (this example from upthread) until you're standing beneath it? Why would you have a system which relies on operator "common sense, aka keen observation of constant alertness" when you can have one that doesn't?

I've had one drop, and I don't move that many. I suspect that maybe you've been lucky.

There really should be nobody going under suspended loads, ever.

 

[manhill]

It is a foreseeable and avoidable risk. To a person that doesn’t see that risk, I would say that is an indication of themselves being a risk to my business if they worked here. So they would not work here. Risks such as this and falling through roofs are easily avoidable.

If I stand to one side of the bag and make an incision from about 1 foot in to and back out to the side, same on other sides, risky?
I'm not trying to be clever, I just am not seeing this risk. I need more examples/depictions.

 

[mayos]

There really should be nobody going under suspended loads, ever.

+1 for that. That mitigates the risk imediately.

 

[Highland Mule]

If I stand to one side of the bag and make an incision from about 1 foot in to and back out to the side, same on other sides, risky?
I'm not trying to be clever, I just am not seeing this risk. I need more examples/depictions.

I get the feeling it's more of an issue for the big spreaders and multiple bags loaded at a time. Your way also relies on the operator being alert and "taking care", where we all know that humans are fallible and won't.

 

[manhill]

This is the whole point of the risk assessment.

How often does the bag break - 1-1000 or 1-10000? And what is the likely outcome? Squashed to death? Broken arm? Damaged spreader?
For that risk is it practical to go to a bulk handling system? Maybe. For that risk is it practical to invent a knife on a stick? Almost definately.

How often does the loader fail? 1-100000? 1-1000000? what's the outcome of that? Dead? Proper buggered for the rest of your life?
so what's an acceptable mitigation? Bulk seed/fert? Loader stops fitted every time you go under the loader? A method of emptying that means you stay in the machine? A knife on a stick so you don't have to stand under it?

Why would you be stupid enough to stand under it to cut it?

 

[roscoe erf]

And if you don't notice the damage and the strap goes on to break, or if you don't notice that there are two straps looped with a cable tie (this example from upthread) until you're standing beneath it? Why would you have a system which relies on operator "common sense, aka keen observation of constant alertness" when you can have one that doesn't?

I've had one drop, and I don't move that many. I suspect that maybe you've been lucky.

There really should be nobody going under suspended loads, ever.

no luck involved it really isn't that common for them to break if it was it would have happened to me by now with the tonnage i have moved over the years on and off farm ,the damage i speak of is holes on the bottom where they have been dragged and caught on screw heads this will cause a loss of product not complete collapse of the bag

 

[mayos]

If I stand to one side of the bag and make an incision from about 1 foot in to and back out to the side, same on other sides, risky?
I'm not trying to be clever, I just am not seeing this risk. I need more examples/depictions.

You've mittigated the risk by not putting yourself in a position where you have to be under a suspeded load. Big tick.

You're still putting an arm under it where you might get it trapped but i assume that you percieve this as acceptable as A. unlikely that the bag will fall. B not a huge risk of injury should it happen. Maybe cutting the side of the bag would be better or the knife on the stick option would be better. That's for you to decide.

 

[mayos]

Why would you be stupid enough to stand under it to cut it?

Ask the people who have have been caught. Some of them you can't ask though...

 

[quattro]

I think I’d be more worried about the loader dropping than cutting a fert back using a knife on a handle
Seed bags as long as your arms are stretched out it isn’t going to fall on your head
I always look at loops whenever picking a bag up and on a few occasions put a fert bag on pallet and cut it above spreader
Biggest problem with any big bags is people picking them up up halfway down the pallet tines and them sliding back
Hope I’m not tempting fate!!

 

[betweenthelines]

Who stands under a bag of fert to cut it?.A sharp knife drawn across the bottom gradually releases the prill. Is the danger to do with the loader failing or the contents burying your arm? How risky is this operation on a scale of1/10,000?

Accidents are often a result of the unexpected.

I wouldn't expected anyone to step in front of an oncoming car, I wouldn't expect the car in front to stop suddenly so I run into it, I wouldn't expect the ladder to slip, the dog has never knocked the handbrake off before, that bull was always quiet as a lamb.

Drive slower, keep your distance from the car in front, use a man cage, don't let the dog ride in the tractor,always beware of livestock.

Very basic examples of "unexpected" risks and how to reduce them.

 

[kiwi pom]

This sign is at one of the farms Mrs kp visits

 

[7610 super q]

And since lockdown ended, there's been folks wandering around everywhere . In and out the yard....around the buildings.... This wouldn't be tolerated on a building site, but cos it's the countryside that's OK. I've ordered 2 x private signs to try and keep numpties out of the garden, 4x beware farm machinery signs for the yard, and whilst at it 3 fragile roof signs. 9x £12.95 each = £116 squid. Complete waste of time, but hopefully arse covered if ramblist gets impaled on a bale spike.
Also ordered a new tilt ram for forklift cos I didn't think it safe to repair the old one ( previous owner and main dealer I bought it from thought it acceptable, but that's another story )
Another £1k. So 10 small items, and 10% of the profit from my small arable farm gone.
Health and safety doesn't cost much..... What a load of f**king tosh.
These threads get my goat. Main cause of the issues ignored, whilst folks waffle on about farmers " poor attitude ". I honestly don't know anyone that gets up in the morning and says " You know what, I think I'll stick my head in a straw chopper and see what happens ".
After reading the tosh on here, I might be tempted though.