Farm Safety
Farming is a dangerous occupation. The Michigan Farm Bureau reports that agriculture is one of the top five most dangerous occupations in the country. In 2003 for example, 32 people died in agricultural accidents and this was exceeded only by construction deaths where 34 people died that year.
Every year, farmers and other agricultural or horticultural employees are injured or killed in farm-related accidents. Sometimes this is because of equipment malfunction or a farm animal that behaves erratically. However, usually it is due to either an unsafe farming practice or the victim taking risks that should not be taken. For example, in 1989, five Michigan dairy farmers were killed by methane after one was failed to emerge from a manure pit and the others tried to rescue him. In 1999, a 49-year old man was killed when his tractor flipped on top of him while pulling a stump. Each year hundreds of injuries and deaths occur.
Farm accidents not only include adults but also children. Between 1992 and 1996, over 2000 youths under age 19 were fatally injured in farm accidents. Whether youth or adult, machinery accidents top the list of the most frequent cause of fatalities.
In most cases, farm accidents are caused by poor judgment or taking chances. It is human nature to think that the accident will "never happen to me". However, experience shows us that individuals who know better, still reach into moving machinery to remove a stone or otherwise clear the device. And even though farmers know that tractors can flip or roll-over, some still have not installed roll-over protection, and take unnecessary chances while driving on slopes, backing tractors on to trailers, and packing silo piles.
These links below will provide information for persons interested in farm safety and security.
Links
General Farm Safety
- Propane Saftey - This is a pdf of a propane safety flyer.
- MPGA, MAFC Promote Propane Safety - A small 2 page word document talking about how the MPGA and MAFC promote propane safety.
- Michigan Propane Gas Association Safety Program - A guidebook that talks all about Propane and how the MPGA launches thier Statewide Safety program.
- Michigan Farmerers Transportation Guidebook - A guidebook that talks all about Michigan farmers and how they fall under the law and different circumstances.
- Assistive Technology and Workplace Modifications for Poultry Growers with Disabilities - A fact sheet from the University of Deleware detailing technology that can assist poultry farmers with physical limitations or health conditions in continuing their work.
- MedlinePlus - Farm health and safety information from a service provided by the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.
- Safety and Health Topics - Agricultural Operations - A large resource covering topics from injuries to pesticides. Provided by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in the U.S. Department of Labor.
- Agricultural Safety Fact Sheets - Resource guides providing statistics and suggestions on safety issues such as child safety, grain bins and silo gas. Created by the National Safety Council.
- Ohioline Farm Safety - A large selection of publications from Ohio State University concerning safety issues.
- Agricultural Safety and Health Program - A site from the University of Minnesota containing a very large amount of information.
- Agricultural Labor Management: Farm Safety - A resource with links to farm safety related material. Produced by the University of California.
- National Ag Safety Database - A massive list of resources arranged by topic concerning agricultural safety.
- Rutgers Extension: Farm Safety - A resource providing links to many publications as well as other sites. Topics include pesticides, electrical safety, fire prevention and more.
- University of Minnesota Extension: Farm Safety - A list of publications, product descriptions, news releases, newsletters and other sites related to farm safety.
- OSHA Fact Sheet: Farm Safety - A brief fact sheet from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration providing a list of common health hazards, high risk factors and how to improve farm safety.
- Colorodo State University Extension: Farm Safety Information - A collection of fact sheets and documents on topics such as hydraulic systems safety, safety for aging farmers, protecting your hearing and more.
- North Dakota State University Extension: Safety Links - This site provides documents concerning livestock safety, chemical safety, publications for children and much more.
- Agricultural Safety and Health - University of California - A portal with links to numerous sites related to farm safety.
- Agriculture Safety - A document produced by the Texas Engineering Extension Service that provides guidelines for pesticide chemical safety, farm equipment safety, heavy equipment safety, fuel storage and towing safety.
- Electrical & Farm Safety Archives - An archive of newsletters regarding safety from the MSU Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering.
Farm Equipment Safety
- Highway Transport of Agricultural Equipment: Preventing Public Road Accidents - Advice on how to safely transport machinery from field to field using public roads. Provided by the University of Idaho.
- Recognizing Common Farm Equipment Hazards - General information as well as some dos and donts. Also available in Spanish, from the National Ag Safety Database.
- Eye Safety on the Farm - A thorough document covering types of eye protection and what type to wear when engaged in certain activities. Provided by the University of Tennessee.
Children's Safety
- Farm Safety and Kids - An article on child safety from a newsletter published by the University of Minnesota's Department of Animal Science.
- Youth in Agriculture: Agricultural Hazards - A source of information on hazards such as tractors, falling, electrocution, chemicals and more from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. It is focues on youth but applies to everyone.
- Farm Safety for Young Children - A publication from Iowa State University outlining farm hazards to young children, including a chart giving key farm dangers based on age groups.
- Children and Safety on the Farm - A document from Penn State University with sections covering understanding of development, keys to prevention and safety as well as conducting safety audits.
- Farms and Child Safety - From the state government of Victoria, Australia, this document discusses risk assessment, general safety suggestions, emergency plans and more.
- Child Safety in Agriculture - A large resource for child safety information provided by the University of Arizona.
Animal Safety
- Animal Handling Safety - Another set of links from the University of Arizona, this one concerning animal handling.
- Farm Animal Publications - Many documents from the USDA concerning animal care and welfare, diseases, techniques, methodologies and procedure, training and education and additional resources.
- Farm Safety & Security - This page from Virginia Tech University contains some animal safety documents as well as general farm safety information.
- Animal Safety Resources - A large site with lots of animal safety information from the University of Maryland.
- Animal Health, Food Safety on the Farm - Information regarding food safety pertaining to animals. Produced by the USDA.
- Stray Voltage - An article from MSU's agricultural engineering department about stray voltage and how it can harm livestock.
Chemical/Pesticide Safety
- Material Safety Data Sheets Search - From Cornell University. Allows you to search by product name, NINN, manufacturer name or just by terms.
- Material Safety Data Sheet Information - An alphabetical directory of Material Safety Data Sheets containing about 22,000 entries. Provided by Oxford University.
- MSDS Database Search - Another MSDS search from the government of British Columbia.
- Pesticides and Their Toxicity - A document from the University of Maine with information on the toxicity of pesticides.
- Dispose of Pesticides Properly - Information on disposal, storage, mixing, containers and more with regards to pesticides. Provided by Iowa State University.
- Pesticide Safety Fact Sheets & Bulletins - A collection of information concerning pesticide and chemical safety presented by Rutgers.
- Pest Management - A large list of resources on pest management from MSU.
- On-Farm Agrichemical Storage and Handling - An in-depth document on storing pesticides and fertilizers from MSU.