Agriculture Machine Safety

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Agriculture Machine Safety
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Terms to Know

• PTO (Power Take Off). A driveshaft on a tractor
  or other machinery used to provide power to an
  attachment or separate machine.
• ROPS (Roll Over Prevention Structure). Roll
  cages, cabs, and roll bars designed to prevent
  the operator of a machine from being crushed in
  the event of a rollover.
• Three Point Hitch A hitching system on the back
  of a tractor used to hook up implements such as
  ploughs. The three point hitch allows implements
  to be raised and lowered with ease.

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Terms to Know

• Auger A screw like device used to move grain,
  silage, and other material.
• Deadman Switch A device that will automatically
  switch off a machine, PTO, or driveline if the
  driver leaves the drivers seat.
• Tines Prongs or forks on farm machinery such as
  rakes, tedders, harvesters, and bailers which
  pick up crops into the machine.
• Shear Bolts Bolts that are designed to shear or
  snap under extreme load to avoid damaging the
  machine.

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Terms to Know

• Forage Pickup The device on the front of
  bailers, harvesters, combines, etc which pick up
  crops for processing utilizing spinning tines.
• Hydraulic Hoses Hoses containing metal ribbing
  which carry hydraulic oil to machines to make
  them move and articulate.
• Loaded Tires Tractor tires that are filled with
  calcium chloride for better traction and
  stability.

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Farm Safety in Canada

• Farming is one of Canadas most dangerous
  occupations.
• Farming tends to be so dangerous because it is
  often governed almost entirely by voluntary
  workplace standards.
• Individuals working on farms are exposed to an
  environment with dangerous machines, animals,
  chemicals, and vehicles.

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Canadian Farm Statistics

• 51 of all machine related fatalities in Canada
  involve tractors.
• 66 of fatalities for children on farms involve
  agricultural machines.
• Youths aged 15-19 are most frequently injured in
  machine entanglements where 20 lead to
  amputations.
• Machine rollovers account for 48.6 of
  agricultural deaths in children 1-19 years of age.

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Tractor Related Injury and Death

• The most common tractor related mishaps are
• By-pass starting
• Front end loader incidents
• Rearward rollover
• Sideways rollover
• Falls from tractors
• Tractor runovers
• Caught between crushing
• PTO entanglements

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Tractor Operator Responsibilities

• The responsibilities of a person operating a
  tractor are
• Conduct proper maintenance
• Conduct pre operation checks
• Avoid injury-incident situations
• Maintain safety features
• Use the tractor as intended
• Refuel safely
• Start and stop safely
• Adjust the tractor for safety

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How to Prevent Injury or Death

• Ensure the tractor is in good working condition.
• Become familiar with each tractor.
• Use safety mechanisms on tractor (seatbelt, ROPS,
  etc..).
• Reduce speed.
• Be familiar with landscape.
• Ensure implements are in good condition.
• Dedicate attention to the job at hand.
• Fix breakdowns immediately.
• Turn off tractor when not in use.
• Do no allow people to ride on tractor.
• Always hitch to drawbar or three point hitch.
• Disengage PTO when not in use.
• Use tractor gears to advantage.
• Only use the tractor for the job it is intended
  to do.
• Disengage power before working on implements or
  other machinery.

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Common Types of Machine Accidents

• There are 8 main types of machine risks in
  Agriculture. They are
• 1) Pinch Points
• 2) Crush Points
• 3) Wrap (entanglement) Points
• 4) Pull-in Points
• 5) Shear and Cutting Point
• 6) Burn Point
• 7) Thrown Objects
• 8) Stored Energy

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• Pinch points are areas where two or more parts
  move together with at least one part moving in a
  circle. The areas where drive belts contact
  pulleys or sprockets mesh with chains are prime
  examples of pinch points

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• Crush points are hazards involving two components
  moving toward each other. Examples of crush-point
  hazards are the raising and lowering equipment
  with a three-point hitch, components that are
  moved by hydraulic cylinders, and the areas
  between the tractor and machinery when hitching
  or turning.

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• Wrap (entanglement) point hazards pertain to any
  exposed rotating component. Wrap-point hazards
  include any type of rotating shaft or driveline.
  PTO drivelines are prime examples of wrapping or
  entanglement hazards.

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• Pull-in point hazards involve mechanisms designed
  to take in crops or other materials for
  processing. They include combine headers, windrow
  pickups, forage chopper headers, and grinders.

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• Shear and cutting point hazards are areas where
  two parts move across one another or one moves
  across a stationary object. Windrower cutter bars
  and grain augers are examples of cutting and
  shear points.
• Burn point hazards are associated with tractors
  and self-propelled and pull-type machinery. Hot
  mufflers, engine blocks, pipes, and hot fluids
  are examples of burn points.

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• Thrown objects present another type of machine
  hazard. Metal, glass, wire, sticks, or other
  materials may be picked up by a machine and
  propelled with extreme force. Rotary mowers are
  good examples of machines capable of throwing
  objects.
• Stored energy hazards are present in pressurized
  systems such as hydraulics, compressed air, and
  springs. The sudden or unsuspected pressurization
  or depressurization of these systems can result
  in crushing and other types of accidents,
  depending on the use of the system. High-pressure
  leaks are also forms of stored energy hazards.

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Implement Safety

• Farm implements such as bailers, harvesters,
  mowers/conditioners, rakes/tedders, silage
  wagons, and manure spreaders contain components
  that can be deadly if not operated properly.
• Most of these implements contain PTO drives,
  cutting blades, augers, and tines/pickups.
• These devices do not stop for humans and too
  often farmers are injured and killed with these
  implements.

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PTO Drives

• PTO drives are mechanical drivelines that can be
  hooked tractors to drive otherwise inoperable
  machines.
• PTO drives spin at a very high speed and can pick
  up loose clothing, hair, threads, crops, etc.
• If this happens, the operator may be pulled into
  the machine resulting in injury or death.

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Cutting Blades

• Machines such as mowers/conditioners and
  harvesters have rotating blades designed to cut
  crops.
• Without proper guards in place these blades can
  break or loosen to the point where they are
  propelled from the machine.

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Augers

• Augers are corkscrew like objects that rotate and
  move grain and crops forwards.
• Augers will quickly pull arms, legs, hands, and
  fingers into machines often resulting in crushing
  and forced amputation.
• Always ensure the machine is turned off before
  working on augers.

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Tines/Pickups

• Machines such as rakes/tedders and harvesters
  have tiny fork like pieces called tines.
• These tines are metal but are thin and bendable.
• Despite their thin construction, these tines spin
  at quick speeds and have been known to break from
  machines.

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End of Section Questions

• 1) What are the eight main risks of agricultural
  machines. Briefly describe each.
• 2) List at least five of the duties for tractor
  operators.
• 3) Why is agriculture one of the most dangerous
  occupations in Canada?
• 4) List at least ten of the ways to prevent
  injury while operating farm machinery.