Almost every job you can think of comes with some risk of injury. A retail manager could slip and fall on a wet floor. Working a desk job can lead to chronic back pain and carpal tunnel. But of course, some jobs are more dangerous than others. As far as dangerous professions go, farming comes in toward the top.
The CDC estimates that about 100 agricultural workers suffer a lost-work-time injury each day. Fortunately, as a farmer, there are measures you can take to protect yourself. One is being educated about the most common types of injuries on the farm, so you can be alert to them. Let’s go over them below!
Tractor Rollovers
Tractor rollovers have been the leading cause of work-related deaths and injuries in farming for many years—causing, on average about 130 deaths per year. Tractors and other heavy machinery can become unbalanced on uneven ground, with heavy loads, or due to poor maintenance, and tip over, taking the driver with it. Being crushed under the weight of the machine often results in serious injury or death.
Falls
A farmer’s duties often put them in precarious positions at great heights. Falling from these positions is an all-too-common occurrence. Trees, silos, barns, farm equipment, grain bins, and haymows are just a few of the places from which farmers are at risk of falling. You could get lucky with just a broken limb, but landing on your back, head, or neck can cause serious lifelong damage or death.
Machine Entanglements
There are so many complex moving parts and mechanisms in farm machinery and equipment, it’s not hard for a farmer to get caught in one and not realize until it’s too late. The result? Often loss of limbs, maiming/disfigurement, or death. This is why you should never be doing maintenance work on running machinery, and always remain alert when using your equipment.
Suffocation
It only takes a few minutes to asphyxiate if you become trapped in a grain bin or silo. Falling into a large supply of grain or just poor bin ventilation is a common cause of suffocation and death among farmers. But other enclosed farm buildings without proper ventilation can be just as dangerous, especially if they’re paired with gas from manure.
Along with being educated about the risks of farming, one of the other most important ways you can protect yourself from death or injury in the field is by using reliable, high-quality equipment. At L&M Manufacturing, all of our products are designed with the safety of farmers in mind and held to the highest quality standards. Much of our equipment can reduce your risk in the field by making your job easier and less intensive.
For more information about any of our agricultural products, browse our website or contact us today!
