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COLLEGE OF FOOD, AGRICULTURAL, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

November 2017

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
For a printable version please click here.

Thoughts from the Editor

Coping with the Pressures of Farming

Dee Jepsen – State Agricultural Safety and Health Leader: A mental wellness publication was produced by my colleagues in Ireland. Farm stressors are fairly universal. This publication contains effective strategies for identifying and relieving every day stresses farmers may feel because of their unique occupation. Access the bulletin here. Teagasc is the national Agricultural and Food Development Authority providing integrated research, advisory and training services to the agricultural...

Grain C.A.R.T. Scheduling

Agricultural rescue training and education are an integral part to protecting our work force of families tied to agriculture in Ohio. The Grain C.A.R.T. (Comprehensive Agricultural Rescue Trailer) was designed and built to do that twofold. Opportunities exist to offer professional training to first responders and/or deliver grain safety awareness curriculum for outreach education to farmers and agricultural industries by scheduling the Grain C.A.R.T. for your area in 2018. Programming is being...

Hunter Education Course

The infamous culinary event of the year, Thanksgiving, is also the beginning of spotting hunter orange in the fields for many. If you plan to hunt this fall or bring a new young hunter along, take a look at the Division of Wildlife hunter certification course offerings at http://wildlife.ohiodnr.gov/education-and-outdoor-discovery/hunter-and-trapper-education.

Chain Saw Safety

Lisa Pfeifer – OSU Ag Safety and Health Education Coordinator: Connect to our fact sheet covering chain saws on Ohioline at, https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/aex-79033. Ohioline is the Ohio State University Extension vehicle for delivering educational online resources to the community. If you are looking for hands-on safety training contact the Ohio Forestry Association to sign-up for their Chainsaw Safety classes coming up in November. See their website to register at...

Agricultural Employee Safety

In agriculture there can be unique circumstances that apply to worker safety and the resources available specific to agricultural safety compliance can be limited. OSU Ag Safety and Health has dedicated a section of their website to address agricultural workplaces and employee safety. This section of the website was developed to provide information, resources and training materials specific to the agricultural workplace and managing safety compliance issues. The website link is...

Lighting Solutions for the Dark Days of Winter

Laura Akgerman – Disability Services Coordinator for Ohio AgrAbility: Does your workload get lighter as the days get shorter and darker? Probably not. Animals still need fed and tended to, work needs to get done, and equipment needs fixed. A well-lit work space is important to ensure that you can work safely and effectively. Task lighting makes work safer and easier, allowing you to see your equipment and workspace. Task lighting can be portable, permanently attached, or you can even...

Safety Starts with Housekeeping

Kent McGuire – OSU Ag Safety and Health Coordinator: A clean orderly workplace sets the tone for everything else. It creates an atmosphere that employees want to work in. It sends a message to visitors that you take your work seriously. Customers and vendors can see there is a pride in the quality of workmanship. Most importantly, everyone can sense that this is a professional and safe workplace.

Preventing Barn Fires

Kent McGuire – OSU Ag Safety and Health Coordinator: Barn fires can be a farmer’s worst nightmare. The majority of barn fires end with tragic, costly, or even heartbreaking outcomes. These losses can include loss of human life, livestock, or valuable equipment and in many cases loss of the barn structure itself. The majority of barn fires end up being a result of lack of fire safety knowledge and even carelessness. Many barn fires could be prevented by: good barn layout, a usable fire...

Thanksgiving Fire Safety

Lisa Pfeifer – OSU Ag Safety and Health Education Coordinator: Thanksgiving is just around the corner and soon the stovetops, ovens, and turkey fryers will be the workhorses of the day. Alarmingly, according to the National Fire Protection Association (USFA), the number of cooking fires on Thanksgiving is three times as high as on any other day of the year. Keep your festivities from becoming a part of the statistic by following some basic safety tips.