by Ben Nuelle LISTEN: World of Agriculture 9-19-16
Accidents on the farm happen more often than you think. In May of this year, a farmer in southeast Iowa was pinned by a piece of machinery and killed. Later that month, an eastern Iowa man was killed when his tractor was struck by a semi. In June, a teenage farm girl died in an ATV incident. These are just a couple of the tragedies that will become Iowa?s farm fatality statistics.
But all of this can be avoided by following a few precautions. Harvest is fast approaching which means farmers will be rushing to cut soybeans and shell corn. This week marks National Farm Safety and Health Week. The theme is ?Farm Safety?A Legacy to be Proud of.?
Chuck Swab is Iowa State University Extension Safety Specialist.
?In this time period it is hectic because there is so much activity going on and so many different types of tasks. It is easy to make a shortcut decision on something you haven?t done before and that leads you to the potential of some serious injuries.?
Most injuries during this time are with machinery.
?Meaning augurs, combines, tractors and wagons. You can see run-overs, entanglements, electrocutions and so all of these play a role in what happens during harvest. Again, if you think about all of the different activities you are doing during this time there is a lot of engagement with each of these pieces of equipment.?
Many farmers tend forget Agriculture is one of the deadliest industries in the United States.
National Farm Safety Week continues runs through Sunday.
*Certain audio used during World of Agriculture came from KCRG-TV and WHO-TV.
