Ag Safety STAT: September 2019

Ag Safety S.T.A.T. – Safe Tactics for Ag Today is an electronic newsletter prepared by team members from the OSU Extension Agricultural Safety & Health Office. The goal is to provide seasonal safety news and activities that may be re-published in your own newsletters or programs. If you have safety-related questions or program ideas that you would like to share, please contact Dee Jepsen at jepsen.4@osu.edu
 

  1. THOUGHTS FROM THE EDITOR – National Farm Safety & Health Week

    Dee Jepsen – State Agricultural Safety and Health Leader:
     
    National Farm Safety and Health Week is September 15 - 21, 2019.
     
    This year’s theme is “Shift Farm Safety into High Gear.”  Each day of this week special messages will promote a different topic. Be ready to engage with us on social media and share with others in your network. Our Facebook page is OSU Ag Safety & Health, our Twitter handle is OSUAgSafety.  Be sure to check us out for regular safety related messages and events.
     
    Daily Themes:
    Monday September 16, 2019 – Tractor Safety & Rural Roadway Safety
    Tuesday, September 17, 2019 – Farmer Health & Opioid/Suicide Prevention
    Wednesday, September 18, 2019 – Safety & Health for Youth in Agriculture
    Thursday, September 19, 2019 – Confined Spaces in Agriculture
    Friday, September 20, 2019 – Safety & Health for Women in Agriculture
     
     
  2. Announcements

    CHECK OUT AG SAFETY AT THE 2014 FARM SCIENCE REVIEW! 
    The OSU Agricultural Safety and Health program staff will be available to meet and talk with attendees of Farm Science Review, September 17-19. Look for us at the following locations:
     
    Agricultural Safety - OSU Central, on the east side of Kottman Street, between Land and Friday Avenues – daily exhibits on Sun Safety, Farm Safety Hazards, Whole Body Vibration, Hearing Loss Prevention, Farm and Rural Stress, and Women In Ag. Guest partner for FSR 2019, the Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health.
     
    Ohio AgrAbility: A Focus on Livestock- OSU Central, on Land Avenue between Market and Kottman – see interactive equipment and vendor exhibit for farming with a disability
     
    Peer-to-Peer Meetings: Meet our Ohio AgrAbility farmers, listen to their DIY solutions, AgrAbility stories, and information about becoming an Ohio AgrAbility client every day at 1 pm at the Ohio AgrAbility exhibit tent.
     
    Fitness for Farm Life: Stretching and Everyday Exercises, session every day at 11am at the Ohio AgrAbility exhibit tent. An Occupational Therapist and Exercise/Fitness Coordinator will be offering tips on preventing injury, teaching the exercises, demonstrating how to modify exercises to match participants’ ability, and answering questions.
     
    Ohio AgrAbility and Universal Design for Garages and Farm Shops - McCormick Building, Friday Ave
     
    Ohio AgrAbility in the Garden – Utzinger Garden on Friday Ave.  Learn about helpful gardening adaptations from our Garden Signs as you walk through the garden.
     
    Gardening Across the Lifespan – Utzinger Garden on Friday Avenue. Tips for gardening with arthritis, low vision, and other age-related conditions Tuesday 11 am
     
    Farmer Stress – We Got Your Back during Question the Authorities – in OSU Central on Wednesday @ 11:20am, Tuesday @ 1pm, and Thursday @ 10:20am.
     
    Special Presentation for Farmer Stress – Stop Fighting on the Way to the Funeral Home, with National Keynote Speaker Jolene Brown -  in OSU Main Tent on Wednesday at 1pm and Thursday at 10am. This 1-hour event will take a light-hearted look at a serious problem of juggling the everyday tasks and emotions involved in farming.

    Also available for Farm Science Review attendees:

    * A mobile scooter charging station at the Ohio AgrAbility tent.

    * The "AgrAbility" Bus will be available from noon to 4 p.m. daily to transport individuals between the exhibit area and field demonstrations. The bus will be available at the main shuttle location near the Review administration headquarters building.

    For more information about the Farm Science Review, visit FSR.osu.edu.

     

    UPCOMING EVENT – 6 LOCATIONS ACROSS THE STATE
    Local Response to Zoonotic Disease Outbreaks: Tabletop Scenario Exercise Training –
    This training will help to prepare human and animal health professionals and local responders for a major zoonotic disease outbreak in Ohio via two tabletop scenarios with significant impact at the local level.
     
    During the interactive exercises the participants will discuss the roles/responsibilities of different agencies and professionals during the early stages of a major outbreak involving human and animal disease, with serious public health and agricultural implications.
     
    This exercise will prompt trainees to prepare for trending social media/public panic and to respond to familiar, unfamiliar, suspicious, and potentially significant circumstances at the local level.
     
    The dynamics of this activity will provide an environment conducive to networking and connection-building amongst participants from multiple disciplines and backgrounds.
     
     
     
  3. Using cameras to monitor equipment function

    Rachel Jarman – Ohio AgrAbility, Rural Rehabilitation Coordinator:

    Using cameras to monitor equipment function has grown in popularity as well as affordability in recent years. Have you ever thought about how those cameras can do more than help you place every last kernel of corn in the semi from the grain cart? AgrAbility has assisted numerous clients who once suffered from back and neck pain, relieve strain by using cameras to provide additional views of equipment running. Imagine how you would feel if you did not have to turn to look how the tillage tool was pulling after every turn. A small monitor mounted in the cab accompanied by 1 or more cameras, depending on desired views, could save your back and neck from all the strain of twisting to check implements. There are many options for vendors of such cameras, including online and brick and mortar dealer sources. Cost of the camera systems vary due to options chosen, but prices have decreased making this more affordable to any size of operation. Different cameras and monitors are linked in this article. Ohio AgrAbility and OSU Ag Safety do not receive any benefit from the links, and do not endorse any particular product or retailer.

    Camera Source: https://camera-source.com/agriculture-cams.html

    Rosco: https://www.roscovision.com/industry-solutions/agriculture-market

    For more information about this and other assistive technologies or Ohio AgrAbility visit https://agrability.osu.edu.

     

  4. The Ohio AgrAbility Peer-to-Peer Network

    Laura Akgerman, Disability Services Coordinator, Ohio AgrAbility:

    One of Ohio AgrAbility’s great strengths is its farmers and their families, and their combined experience, life stories, resilience and adaptation to farming with a disability. Every summer Ohio AgrAbility holds a meeting for the famers (Peers) and their families. They share information, ideas, struggles and triumphs, and help each other solve problems or suggest DIY fixes for equipment and tasks. You may have heard the expression that there is no one who can understand you like someone in your same situation, and this is true for the AgrAbility Peers, regardless of their disabilities or what they farm. The farmers are also our best resource for referrals to the AgrAbility program, and advice for other farmers about “working smarter (and safer), not harder.”

    The Ohio AgrAbility Peer-to-Peer Network will be meeting every day at 1 pm in the AgrAbility tent, and farmers will be working alongside staff every day in the tent, answering questions, giving advice, problem solving, and talking about their AgrAbility experiences. Please stop by the AgrAbility tent on Land Avenue between Market and Kottman during Farm Science Review 2019 to meet our Peers and the staff.

     

  5. Safe Combine Operation During Harvest

    Kent McGuire – OSU CFAES Safety and Health Coordinator:

    As we head into fall and look forward to harvest season, consider safety as part of your harvest planning process. It takes multiple pieces of equipment working simultaneously to have an efficient harvest season and no piece of equipment is more important than the combine.  It is important to keep safety in the forefront when operating or working around the combine and combine safety starts with the operator.  Combine operators should consider these guidelines during harvest:

    - Follow the procedures in the operator’s manual for safe operation, maintenance, dealing with blockages and other problems.
    - Check all guards are in position and correctly fitted before starting work. Do not run the combine with the guards raised or removed.
    - Keep equipment properly maintained and ensure equipment has adequate lighting for working in low light conditions
    - Reduce the risk of falls by ensuring access ladders, steps, or standing platforms are clean and free of mud or debris.
    - Never carry passengers on the combine unless seated in a passenger seat and do not mount or dismount the combine when it is moving.
    - Make sure to keep cab windows clean and mirrors are properly adjusted. Operator vision to the rear may be poor so be particularly careful when reversing.
    - Keep the cab door shut to keep out dust and reduce noise. Ensure any pedestrians are clear of the combine before moving.
    - Be alert to your surroundings. Know where other equipment is being positioned and be observant to individuals who may be walking around the equipment. Maintain eye contact and communicate your intentions with the other person.
    - When unloading the combine on the move, you will need to plan and coordinate your movements carefully to match the tractor/grain cart working with you.
    -  Remember the hazards posed by straw choppers and spreaders – allow adequate rundown time before approaching the rear of the combine.
    - Do not operate the machine beyond its capacity or overload it.
    - Regularly clean straw and chaff deposits from the engine compartment and around belts or pulleys to reduce risk of fire.
    - Carry suitable fire extinguishers. These should be regularly checked and properly maintained/ serviced.
    - Use extreme caution when working around overhead power lines, especially when extending the unloading auger or bin extensions.
    - Follow correct procedures when transferring the header on and off the header cart or working under the header (use the manufacturer’s safety supports).
    - Utilize safe travel routes between fields and take into account overhead height and roadway width clearances. 
    - Pre-plan road travel to account for potential problems with automobile traffic. Utilize escort vehicles when needed.
     

    For more information about the OSU Ag Safety visit https://agsafety.osu.edu/ or contact Kent McGuire, at mcguire.225@osu.edu or 614-292-0588.

     

  6. “Shift Farm Safety Into High Gear.”

    Lisa Pfeifer – OSU Ag Safety and Health Education Coordinator:

    National Farm Safety and Health Week is September 15-21, 2019. Farm safety is a necessary every day practice, but this week allows advocates and safety professionals across the country to turn the spotlight on safe worker practices on the farm by highlighting a topic each day and providing an information push of resources as we all work to “Shift Farm Safety Into High Gear.”
    OSU Agriculture Safety & Health would like to share some Ohio State University Extension and federal information resources to support improving safety in each of the daily focus areas.
     
    Tractor Safety & Rural Roadway Safety (Monday, September 16, 2019)
    Compact Utility Tractor Safety -- https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/aex-79032
    No Riders on Farm and Lawn Equipment -- https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/aex-59117
     
    Farmer Health & Opioid/Suicide Prevention (Tuesday, September 17, 2019)
    Mental Health First Aid – https://cfaes.osu.edu/mental-health
    Should I Continue Farming? -- https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/anr-71
     
    Safety & Health for Youth in Agriculture (Wednesday, September 18, 2019)
     
    Confined Spaces in Agriculture (Thursday, September 19, 2019)
    Liquid Manure Storage Safety -- https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/aex-59193
     
    Safety & Health for Women in Agriculture (Friday, September 20, 2019)
    Ohio Women In Agriculture -- http://u.osu.edu/ohwomeninag/