Farm safety at the forefront this fall
By Justin R. Lessman
There is no shortage of potential farm and farm-related safety hazards that arise during the fall harvest season.
However, longtime Jackson emergency responder Kirk Dunlavey says a little forethought and common sense can help everyone — farmer and non-farmer alike — make it through the upcoming harvest season safe and sound.
Dunlavey, interim co-director of the Jackson Ambulance Service, has served as a member of the local ambulance service and Jackson Fire Department since 2000. He said he’s responded to plenty of farm and farm-related incidents over the past quarter-century, though he added many of them are preventable.
“One of the most common things we see is fire being sparked by equipment in the fields,” he said. “I urge farmers to make sure their equipment is properly maintained, old gears are replaced, bearings are greased and chains aren’t dragging. And have a plow or digger hooked up and nearby. The fire department has saved a lot of acres, but farmers with plows or diggers at the ready have saved many more.”
Falls are another all-too-common issue on farms, Dunlavey said, as are incidents involving grain bins and in-bin augers. In terms of the latter, Dunlavey said the Jackson Fire Department is fortunate to have raised enough money from a generous community to have the latest in grain-bin rescue equipment.
“But we’d really prefer never to have to use it,” he said.
Power take-offs on farm machinery are an ever-present danger, Dunlavey said, though the danger is reduced significantly by leaving guards in place.
“The guards are on PTOs for a reason,” he said. “Leave them in place.”
Dunlavey also encourages farmers to wear proper safety gear when warranted.
“Wear safety glasses to protect your eyes and gloves to keep your hands safe from pinch points,” he said. “It’s worth taking the time to be safe.”
The list of potential farm hazards is long, Dunlavey said, but farm-related dangers even extend to nonfarmers.
“People out traveling local roadways need to be aware of slow-moving vehicles and large equipment turning into and out of traffic,” he said, “and sometimes without a whole lot of warning.”
There is no shortage of potential farm and farm-related safety hazards that arise during the fall harvest season.
However, longtime Jackson emergency responder Kirk Dunlavey says a little forethought and common sense can help everyone — farmer and non-farmer alike — make it through the upcoming harvest season safe and sound.
Dunlavey, interim co-director of the Jackson Ambulance Service, has served as a member of the local ambulance service and Jackson Fire Department since 2000. He said he’s responded to plenty of farm and farm-related incidents over the past quarter-century, though he added many of them are preventable.
“One of the most common things we see is fire being sparked by equipment in the fields,” he said. “I urge farmers to make sure their equipment is properly maintained, old gears are replaced, bearings are greased and chains aren’t dragging. And have a plow or digger hooked up and nearby. The fire department has saved a lot of acres, but farmers with plows or diggers at the ready have saved many more.”
Falls are another all-too-common issue on farms, Dunlavey said, as are incidents involving grain bins and in-bin augers. In terms of the latter, Dunlavey said the Jackson Fire Department is fortunate to have raised enough money from a generous community to have the latest in grain-bin rescue equipment.
“But we’d really prefer never to have to use it,” he said.
Power take-offs on farm machinery are an ever-present danger, Dunlavey said, though the danger is reduced significantly by leaving guards in place.
“The guards are on PTOs for a reason,” he said. “Leave them in place.”
Dunlavey also encourages farmers to wear proper safety gear when warranted.
“Wear safety glasses to protect your eyes and gloves to keep your hands safe from pinch points,” he said. “It’s worth taking the time to be safe.”
The list of potential farm hazards is long, Dunlavey said, but farm-related dangers even extend to nonfarmers.
“People out traveling local roadways need to be aware of slow-moving vehicles and large equipment turning into and out of traffic,” he said, “and sometimes without a whole lot of warning.”
