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April
21, 2005
Spring Safely
into Spring Field Work
Agricultural injuries
typically increase during spring field work.
“The press of
field work and the busy preparation for it are the primary causes,”
says George Maher, a North Dakota State University Extension Service agricultural
safety specialist.
The most common injuries
are sprains, strains, cuts and broken bones. Spring field activities that
can lead to those injuries include hitching or unhitching cultivators
and planting equipment, changing cultivator shovels and other tillage
tool maintenance.
“Many fingers,
toes and backs are injured while hitching and unhitching tillage equipment,”
Maher says. “Give some thought as to where to park equipment before
unhitching it. How you arrange your equipment in the farmyard area can
make life easier and safer.”
He also has this advice:
- Avoid storing
machinery on uneven ground because equipment may move after being released
from the tractor. Machinery with integral hitches, such as the three
point, is much easier and safer to attach on level ground. Equipment
also is safer to work on and hitch to the tractor while on relatively
level ground. Jacks and blocking on which machinery may rest are not
as likely to slip.
- While hitching
equipment, a helper should stand beside the equipment, stepping between
only when the machinery is lined up correctly and the tractor is in
park or neutral while the brakes are set. This ensures that the tractor
is under control and the helper won't be crushed. The area between a
tractor and the implement to be attached is very dangerous for the person
who is helping hitch equipment. The tractor operator’s foot can
slip from a clutch or brake pedal very easily, and the results can be
disastrous.
- Locking hitch
pins always should be used. They keep implements from working loose
and causing accidents. Back the tractor up to the machinery in a straight
position whenever possible.
- Too many injuries
and deaths occur because someone trusted a hydraulic system. If your
safety depends on hydraulic power or systems, block the machinery in
place. Hitch jacks or blocking also can be useful because disconnecting
hydraulic couplings is much easier and safer when the system has no
pressure on it. Always use transport brackets for cultivator wings while
on the road.
- Be sure to check
the operation of the hydraulic controls after the hitching is complete
and the helper is out of the way. Mixed or interchanged hydraulic connections
can make a big difference on most machinery. Color coding your tractor
and machinery hydraulic connections is a good way to prevent these problems.
Red and green or yellow and blue are usable color combinations. If you
know the connections are wrong while you still are in the farmyard,
you are more likely to make the corrections there than once you are
in the field.
- Letting the implement
hitch fall to the ground as you pull away with the tractor will make
the next hitching more difficult and dangerous, possibly inviting a
back injury. Support the hitch with blocks or jacks before pulling the
pin when disconnecting equipment. Use wood or metal blocking because
concrete crushes very easily.
- Skinned knuckles,
cuts, bruises and sprains are not a necessary part of working on grain
drills, row crop planters and cultivators. When removing cultivator
shovels and similar parts, apply a shot of penetrating oil after clearing
the soil from nuts and bolts. While installing new cultivator shovels,
protect the exposed bolt threads by using double nuts to cover them.
- Before you pull
or push on a wrench, take a second to see where your elbow or knuckles
will hit if you should slip. Pulling on a wrench usually is safer than
pushing on it. Going for medical attention for an injury takes longer
than making these safety checks.
- Serious accidents
can occur while tillage equipment is on the road. A Slow Moving Vehicle
sign should be mounted on all equipment so it is clearly visible from
the rear, as required by law. Clearance lights should be used while
on the road in poor visibility conditions, such as early dusk.
- Moving large machinery
on roadways after dark is dangerous and the risk never is worth the
time saved. When you move farm machinery on roadways, always be alert
for traffic and allow it to pass when it is safe. Maintain safe road
speeds so you can control the machinery and avoid undue wear and tear.
- In the field,
watch out 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 off
the tractor engine before leaving the seat to work on tillage equipment
that becomes plugged with crop residue. If the engine continues to run,
the tractor can slip into gear while you are working on the cultivator.
- The tractor has
just one seat, so don’t allow additional riders.
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Source: George
Maher, (701) 231-8288, gmaher@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Ellen Crawford, (701) 231-5391, ecrawfor@ndsuext.nodak.edu
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