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May 6, 2004 Avoid Injuries This Spring The number of agricultural injuries increase during the spring months, according to George Maher, North Dakota State University Extension Service safety specialist. “The increased injury rate is fairly consistent from year to year. The primary cause is the press of field work and the many machinery preparations that are necessary.” Precautions need to be taken while doing maintenance work on planting and tillage equipment. Spring field activities include such work as hitching or unhitching cultivators and planting equipment, changing cultivator shovels and other tillage tool maintenance. The injuries most likely to happen with spring work include sprains, strains, cuts and broken bones. How equipment is arranged in the farmyard area can make life easier and safer. Before unhitching equipment, give some thought as to where it can safely be parked. Avoid uneven areas because the equipment may move after being released from the tractor. Machinery with integral hitches, such as three point, are much easier and safer to attach on level ground. Jacks are not as likely to slip and neither is the blocking that the machinery may be setting on. “The area between a tractor and the implement to be attached is a very dangerous zone for the person who is helping to hitch equipment,” Maher says. “The results can be disastrous if a foot slips from a clutch or brake pedal. While hitching equipment, the helper should always stand to the side of the equipment. The helper should step between the equipment only when the machinery is lined up properly and the tractor is in park or neutral with the brakes set.” Backing the tractor up to the machinery in a straight line, when possible, usually causes fewer problems. Locking hitch pins should always be used. They keep implements from working loose and causing accidents. Do not trust hydraulic systems. Block the machinery in place if you are relying on hydraulic power. Disconnecting hydraulic couplings is much easier and safer if there is no pressure on the system. It will make a difference on most machinery if the hydraulic connections are mixed or interchanged. Color coding hydraulic connections is a good way to prevent these problems. Red and green or yellow and blue are good, usable color combinations. Check the hydraulic controls after the hitching is complete and the helper is out of the way. If you know the connections are wrong in the farmyard, fix them immediately. You are more likely to make the corrections in the yard than in the field. It is always a good idea to support machinery with blocks or jacks under the hitch before disconnecting equipment. Letting the implement hitch fall to the ground as you pull away with the tractor will make reconnecting more difficult and dangerous, possibly inviting a back injury. Use wood or metal blocking because concrete crushes easily. Before you pull or push on a wrench, take a second to see where your elbow or knuckles will hit if you should slip. It is usually safer to pull on a wrench than it is to push on it. Always use transport brackets for cultivator wings while on the road. When removing cultivator shovels or similar parts, clean the soil off the nuts and bolts and apply a shot of penetrating oil. It can save you from skinned knuckles, cuts, bruises and sprains. While installing new cultivator shovels, you can protect exposed threads by using double nuts to cover them. “There are many opportunities for serious accidents to occur when tillage equipment is on the road,” Maher says. “Always be alert for traffic and allow it to pass when it is safe. Maintain safe road speeds so that you can control the machinery and avoid undue wear and tear.” It can be dangerous moving large machinery on roadways after dark. The law requires that a SMV (Slow Moving Vehicle) sign be mounted on all equipment so it is clearly visible from the rear. Clearance lights should be used if visibility is poor such as early dusk. The opportunities for injury are usually less once out in the field, but care is still needed. Watch for power lines and poles, trees and fences. Turning the equipment at the end of the field can be dangerous. Don't snag the equipment on the tractor's rear wheels in tight, sharp turns. “Always shut the tractor engine off and put the key in your pocket before leaving the tractor seat when tillage equipment plugs,” Maher says. “You never know when it may slip into gear while you are working on the equipment. And remember, there is only one seat on the tractor so do not allow riders.” ### Source: George
Maher, (701) 231-8288, george.maher@ndsu.nodak.edu |
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North Dakota State University |
