Staying Safe in an
Agriculture Workplace
David W. Smith
Farm Safety Programs
Texas Cooperative Extension
Texas A&M University System
What makes agriculture
work dangerous?
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Environment
Personal factors
Work activities
Social, economic and political factors
Environmental Factors
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Weather
Work sites overlap with residence, office
Delayed response of emergency service
Isolation from others
Difficult to maintain good personal hygiene
Hazards and exposures not monitored
(noise, vibration, lighting, dusts, etc.)
Personal Factors
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Young children frequently exposed to
hazards beyond their understanding
Senior workers continue working
despite physical limitations
Work sometimes pushes physical
limitations
Routine medical surveillance
uncommon
Work Activity Factors
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Long work hours
Erratic work pace
Irregular work routine
Trade learned by observation and
experience
Work activities dependent on
uncertainty of weather
Social, Political, and
Economic Factors
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Day care often not an option
Absence of health and safety
regulations
Long-held cultural belief that little can
be done to improve safety
Safety attitude stems from culture and
outcome of experience performing
dangerous activities
Who is at risk of injury?
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Co-workers
Visitors
Family members
Subcontractors
Farm animals and wildlife
What are the dangers?
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Tractors
Machinery and
implements
Livestock
Electricity
Chemicals
Fires
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Ponds and open
water bodies
Sun exposure
Material storage
facilities
Manure pits
ATVs
Tractor Hazards
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Overturns
Runover incidents
Highway accidents
Falls
Contact with other objects
Tractor Overturns
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Accounts for over
half of all tractor
fatalities
Occurs when the
tractor’s center of
gravity falls outside
of it’s base of
stability
Includes both side
and rear rollovers
Physics of Tractor
Stability
Side Overturn
Rear Overturn
Preventing Tractor
Overturn Injury
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Drive at appropriate
speeds
Lock brake pedals
together when on
highway
Set wheel tread as
wide as possible
Stay away from steep
slopes
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Don’t drive on soft
shoulders
Keep front-end loader
loads low to the
ground
Drive forward down
hills and back up hills
Equip tractor with
rollover protection and
wear seatbelt
Tractor Runovers
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Major Causes of
Runover Accidents
– Bypassing the ignition
switch to start tractor
– Failure to set parking
brake on slope
– Falling or jumping off of
tractor
– Failure to acknowledge
bystanders
Preventing Runover
Accidents
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Only start tractor while
sitting in the seat
Don’t disable safety
switches
Place guard on starter
terminals to prohibit
bypassing
Always set parking
brake before
dismounting
Look for bystanders
before starting tractor
Tractor Highway
Accidents
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Most tractor accidents
occur:
– During planting and
harvesting seasons
– Between 3 pm and 6 pm
– Where posted speed
limits are greater than
50 mph
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Most caused because
of excessive speed of
other vehicles
Safe Operation on
Highways
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Make sure the tractor
is safe to drive
(steering, brakes, etc.)
Make tractor visible to
other drivers (SMV
emblem, flashers,
lights)
Drive at controllable
speeds
Stay off of soft
shoulders
Machinery and
Implement Hazards
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PTO and drive shaft entanglement
Contact with rotating parts
Pull-in injuries
Crushing injuries
Electrocution
PTO Entanglements
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Usually occurs when
clothing, hair or
jewelry gets caught on
bolt of drive shaft
Results in multiple,
severe injury, loss of
limb, strangulation,
and/or death
PTO’s turn from 540 to
1000 revolutions per
minute
PTO Safety
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Replace all damaged or
missing PTO shields
and drive shaft covers
Wear tight-fitted
clothing
Put up hair
Remove all jewelry
Don’t climb over or
under drive shafts
Other Machinery Hazards
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Shear and cut points
Pinch points
Wrap points
Crush points
Free-wheeling points
Pull-in points
Springs and chains
Hydraulic systems
Machinery Safety
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Don’t wear loose
clothing around moving
parts
Never reach over or
work near rotating
parts
Turn off machinery
before performing
maintenance
Never rely solely upon
a machine’s hydraulic
system to keep
equipment suspended
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Replace all missing and
damage shields
Never place yourself
between a tractor and
implements when
hitching
Never crawl under a
machine or implement
without first chocking
or blocking
Never allow anyone
near a chain when it is
under stress
Livestock Hazards
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Crushing injuries
Property damage
Diseases
Parasites
Livestock Considerations
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Vision
– Cattle have near-360-degree panoramic vision
– Horses and swine have near-300-degree field of
vision
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Hearing
– More sensitive than humans
– Loud noises frightening
– High-frequency sounds painful.
Livestock Considerations
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Temperament
– Each animal has its own personality
– Become uncomfortable when personal space is
threatened
– Routine is calming
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Instinct
– Females become aggressive when offspring are
threatened
– Males aggressive when herd threatened and
during mating period
Livestock Diseases and
Parasites
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Brucellosis
Tetanus
Ringworm
Salmonella
Leptospirosis
Rabies
Trichinosis
Lyme Disease
 Keep vaccinations current
 Wear boot coverings when on other
farms
 Isolate sick animals from the herd
 Keep children and visitors away from
sick animals
Livestock Safety
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Maintain a nonthreatening distance
Use a calm voice and
deliberate movement
Don’t startle the animal
Never prod an animal
that has nowhere to go
Don’t be abusive
Stay away from
newborns
Electricity Hazards
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Contact with overhead transmission lines
Absence of proper grounding
Overloaded circuits
Damaged wiring
Missing safety shields
Center pivot irrigation systems
Pond pumps
Contact with Power Lines
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Many workers have
been electrocuted
when moving irrigation
pipe (20 feet sections)
and contact overhead
power lines
Workers also
electrocuted when
moving grain augers
and when contacting
power lines with front
end loaders
Electrical System
Maintenance
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Can you identify
any problems?
Metal + electricity –
water protection –
grounding = an
accident waiting to
happen
Extension Cords
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Don’t use extension
cords in wet areas
Don’t try to repair
them, replace them
Don’t use them to tie
or secure objects
Never run over cords
with vehicles
Unplug cords from
outlets when not in use
Chemical Hazards
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Pesticides/herbicides
Anhydrous ammonia
Water well contamination
Fertilizers
Animal medicines
Spraying Chemicals
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Read and follow chemical material safety data sheets (MSDS)
Wear appropriate personal protective equipment
Follow label instructions for mixing and cleanup
Warn others of your intent to spray
Have an emergency plan in place
Anhydrous Ammonia
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Used as a fertilizer in
agriculture and a
coolant in food
processing
Stored as a liquid
under pressure
Will freeze-burn skin
upon contact
Vapors will burn skin,
eyes, and can be fatal
at high concentrations
Anhydrous Ammonia
Theft
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Key component in
production of
methamphetamines
Often stolen from
temporary storage
tanks located on farms
and dealerships
Usually stolen in small
quantities, multiple
times, to avoid
detection
Fire Hazards
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Fueling and fuel storage
Electrical problems
Heaters
Dry, dusty confinement areas
Hay storage
Machinery
Welders and torches
Fueling and Fuel Storage
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Store fuel tanks at least 40
feet from buildings and
barns
Ground storage tanks in
case of direct lightning
strikes
Never fuel a hot tractor or
vehicle
Post no-smoking signs that
are clearly visible
Erect barriers around tanks
to prevent vehicles from
running into them
Hay Baling and Stacking
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Allow cut hay to dry
sufficiently before baling
Uncured hay will increase
cause temperature to
increase in bales or hay
stacks resulting in
spontaneous combustion
Provide adequate
ventilation around hay
stacks to avoid overheating
Keep hay stacks at least
100 feet from buildings and
don’t park tractors near
stacks
Tractor Fires
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Oil, grease, dirty rags, and trash on machinery can
result in devastation.
Be sure to grease and oil machinery on a regular
basis.
Material Storage Hazards
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Engulfment
Asphyxiation
Suffocation
Falls from elevated surfaces
Contact with conveyance machinery
Grain Bin Engulfment
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Grain inside a bin can
form a crust on top,
that when broken can
engulf a person in a
matter of seconds
Never enter a grain bin
without proper lifeline
support
Always let coworkers
know when you must
enter a grain bin
Asphyxiation
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Stored silage will
release toxic gases
during the drying
process
Opening the top of a
silo from the top could
result in asphyxiation
and cause you to fall
Always wear proper
respiratory equipment
Other Dangers
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ATVs
Ponds
Irrigation canals
Uncapped wells
Sun exposure
Heat
Snakes, spiders, bees, etc.
ATV Safety
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Never carry extra
riders on an ATV not
designed for
passengers
Attend an ATV rider
safety course
Know the limitation of
the ATV
Always wear a helmet,
long pants, gloves, and
riding boots
Ponds and Open Water
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Never swim in an
irrigation canal or
unfamiliar pond
Post no-swimming
signs
Install a safety post
with rope and
flotation device at
the edge of ponds
Sun Protection
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Wear a widebrimmed hat and
long sleeve shirt
Wear sunscreen
Drink plenty of
water
Perform difficult
tasks in the
morning or evening
Things that bite, sting,
and cause rashes
Rattlesnake
Yellow jacket
Black widow
Mosquito
For more information on
these topics visit the
Agricultural Safety and
Health web site @
http://agsafety.tamu.edu