According to the National Safety Council, more than 700 farmers and ranchers die every year in accidents on the farm. Another 120,000 suffer some type of debilitating injury.
And most of those accidents could have been avoided if some basic safety measures were followed, said Kerri Ebert, extension farm safety assistant with the K-State Research and Extension Service in Manhattan.
“Many farmers who are seriously injured in farm accidents say, 'I knew what I was doing was wrong, but I was in a hurry,'” Ebert said. “I know it sounds corny to say this, but if we just take a minute, gather our thoughts, just try to think through how do you do this safely.”
Weather has delayed much of the regular spring planting work across Southeast Kansas and producers are going to be hard press, once they finally can get back in the fields, to finish the work they need to get done. But, despite the limited amount of time to get crops in the fields, producers need to be careful as they go about their daily chores.
One of the most dangerous of spring jobs is anhydrous ammonia application, said Dean Stites, agricultural agent for the K-State Extension office in Girard. It's probably the most dangerous material producers deal with, he said.
Stites urges producers to make sure their emergency water supply tank is full and operating. Water, he said, is about the only way to treat a case of anhydrous exposure before seeking medical attention.
He also said that some type of communications device, a radio or cell phone, is another essential piece of equipment for farmers working out in the field.
“In case something does happen, that could be the difference between being dead or being alive,” Stites said.
Fatigue is another factor that increases the chances of an accident, Stites and Ebert both said. While the impact of fatigue is more likely to occur during the harvest in the fall, it can still play a role during the spring, Ebert said.
“If you start out behind (with weather delays) and you're trying to make up time, that means you're going to have to work longer hours,” Ebert said. “That can lead to fatigue-related poor decisions.”
Ebert recommends producers get as much rest as they can, eat healthy meals and drink plenty of fluids — preferably water — to stay hydrated while working. She also recommends a 10 to 15 minute break every couple of hours to get out of the tractor and walk around to recharge the batteries.
“That's the hardest thing to get people to do when they're out in the field,” Ebert said.
Stites agreed. He further recommends that short naps can help, too. It’s like when taking a long car trip, he said.
“If you’re dog tired and not concentrating, that’s when accidents happen,” he said. “Even if you only stop and sleep for a couple of hours it makes a lot of difference.”