Based on childhood memories of working on the farm and more than a decade of serving as a farm safety expert, Dr. Jesse LaPrade is more convinced than ever that avoiding farm-related injuries and fatalities is best expressed in one word: planning.
Avoiding farm-related injuries and fatalities
Farm safety requires proper planning, patience, and attention to tractors and large animals, including horses.
Another way to express it is that time-honored British Army adage: Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Poor Performance.
Indeed, based on his own decade-long study of farm safety-related issues, LaPrade, Alabama Cooperative Extension System farm safety specialist, says injuries and fatalities almost invariably can be traced to a farmer's insistence on getting as much done in the shortest possible time.
Recipe for disaster: impatience
"Farmers get impatient to get things done, and they often don't have quite enough labor to get the job done the way it should be," LaPrade says.
In that respect, things haven't changed that much.
"It's been this way ever since I was growing up on the farm," he recalls.
"Think about things before you do them, and then you may end up getting it just right."
As rules go, its sounds simple, but experience has taught LaPrade that impatience always rears its head at critical times of the year —the reason why he urges farmers to pause for a moment and consider the implications of that line of thinking.
"Before you try to play fast catch-up when you get behind, think about this: Is it really going to matter five years from now if you caught up or not?" he often asks farmers.
"Thinking of it that way puts all of these issues in the right perspective," LaPrade says.The Alabama Cooperative Extension System Farm Safety Management website features a comprehensive self-help training program that encompasses all facets of farm work. LaPrade has compiled what he describes as a massive farm safety website that is updated every three months: FarmSafety.
The annual death rate for farm workers involving on-farm accidents is 20.3 per 100,000 workers nationally.
A major focus of the training is on tractor safety. Studies show that 46 percent of all farm fatalities are from the use of farm tractors and implements used with tractors. Nearly one-half of farm fatalities from using tractors involve the tractor overturning.
Between 75 to 85 percent of current overturns are to one side because tractors have a high center of gravity. Sudden turns at low or high speeds can cause a tractor to overturn to either side.
Animals are another source of farm accidents and the following advice applies to horses, cows, and other farm animals:
- Remember that animals may be friendly, but they are extremely strong and spook much easier at night than in the daytime.
- Stay out of corners and areas from which escape is difficult when working with animals.
- Be wary of newly acquired horses and livestock.
- Make sure all enclosures are in good repair.
- Close gates securely.
- Always report unusual animal behavior that could signal illness.
- Request veterinary assistance for sick horses and livestock.
-
Handle vaccines and medicines with care.