hazards of farming -part 1

      a variety of hazards exist for farmers across this country. it has one of the highest mortality rates among all occupations one could have. mainly because farmers are usually working by them selves in a variety of hazardous situations from operating heavy equipment on slopes, to filling silos, to operating corn pickers , to being gored by animals. for some farmers this is just part of their daily routine. it could be something so simple as milking a diseased cow, and becoming infected with what she has, that can create debilitating conditions leading to amputation of body parts. i can only begin to access the full scope of injuries and illnesses one might expect when farming as an occupation. 

      it seems as if accidental entanglements with moving machinery is at the top of the list. losing an arm or a leg to a corn picker or even worse has happened, resulting in death,and this is at the top of the list. next i feel would be tractor overturning and pinning of driver underneath tractor as the second most hazardous situation a farmer can get into. being gored by animals is also an ever present danger, death by silo or succumbing to accidental suffocation in grain bins and silos is a common occurrence on a farm. electrocution and pinning of bodies under equipment or between equipment are also major causes of death. a variety of causes in farming are responsible for death including probably the worse and that is death by sewage lagoon. falling into a sea of shit and not being able to claw your way out. i would rather point a gun to my head than have that happen. but it has and on numerous occasions. thankfully it is nothing i have ever experienced even from afar.  just have always heard tell of it. 

     now if someone were to ask me to take their combine or for that matter if i had enough money to buy my own john deere combine with a corn head and pick maybe 60 - 100 acres of corn, i would say how soon or wheres the keys? as i love to operate the big toys. bigger toys for bigger boys, the world is my sandlot. to be able to sit  in that seat and do nothing but pick corn all day has always been a dream of mine. much the same as my mom and her publishers clearinghouse winnings. that would be the first thing i buy if i won the lottery. you are taming nature and listening to hank jr while doing it. but it is also one of the leading causes of death if not operated correctly. the allure of running that equipment is far greater than the acknowledgement of the risk involved. something gets stuck in the corn head and requires you to exit the safety of the cab for a chance to find out what is wrong firsthand . you become stuck in the machine accidentally or you could possibly be run over. a million things could happen. 

      so how do you avoid the consequences of accidental anything harmful going on. common sense. 

      1. turn off machine and at very least disable all pto devices before exiting the tractor. with the new button actuated pto systems it is entirely possible to stand alongside the tractor and accidentally engage the pto. also a rider on a tractor, as they are now furnishing seats and seatbelts for an additional rider could accidentally engage the tractor pto while you are working on the equipment it is attached to. it all can be remedied by turning off the tractor as it shuts off additional accessories that may also cause you injury or possible blinding or injection injuries if the problem is with the hydraulics. so shutting down the equipment is the first thing you should do. if you are in a rollover situation again turning off the equipment may be the difference between life and death.

      2 access your situation before making any drastic moves. a slight turn of a wheel or engaging a drive system or moving a hydraulic lever may cause more damage. if you are in a silo and for some reason feel yourself being swallowed by the grain or silage to stretch out as flat as you can may be your best option to save yourself. to try and think quickly under these situations requires a cool head and i must say if i lost a hand or what ever and knew i was facing a death situation it is hard to be calm . but it is what will save you for another day. be calm and think about your next course of action. if it is heart attack or what ever you still need to remain calm.  

     3. plan a course of action and first should be to locate your cell and call for help. try someone familiar with your situation first and 911 second. finding an injured person on a farm can be a problem due to the rural nature of farming in general. having someone familiar to assist the local fire or rescue workers to your location where you need assistance is always a time saver. never leave the house with out letting someone know where you are so in the event you don't return someone knows where to begin looking. how many hunters have died due to them failing to tell anyone where they were headed. they walk out into a woods and die of a heart attack. so simple and yet one of the easiest ways to avoid this is to communicate to someone where you are going to be. we live in an age of easy communication and in our area of ohio we are covered by 911 services and a cell phone works great when used as an emergency device to contact for help. never leave the house to work on farm without it. it can be used even if it is not in service to call 911. just make sure it is charged. this one device can be used as a locator in the event you are not able to talk or no one knows exactly where you are. they are able to locate you with gps positioning and cell tower location to pinpoint your signal. so if all you can do is dial 911 you stand a chance of being saved. i always carry my phone when out on the farm. but at same time when operating equipment using the phone can be a distraction and using all your power for senseless talking when you might need to call for help is a consideration one should keep in mind. especially when operating equipment or putting yourself in a dangerous situation. 

       4. don't be afraid to call for help even when you think you are in control of a bad situation. you never know when it might get worse. say for instance you were able to extricate you self from an overturned tractor only to have the tractor roll on you again as the only side available to you was the lower side when you were trying to free yourself. the second time you may not be so lucky, so call for help if you know that you are in a bad situation. a lot of what i describe for farmers is also applicable to anyone in dire situations . say for instance a car in a creek with water coming in and moving the car. do you stay or do you attempt to extricate yourself from that situation? it all depends on keeping a level head and thinking your way through this situation as to whether you will survive or not. a call on your cell phone again may be the first thing you should do. getting used to the cold water first before attempting to swim may be your second choice as who hasn't gasped when diving into a cold pool of water for the first time.  now add the excitement of trying to save your life to the situation, and immediately you sense what you are up against. 

     in summary what you do in the first seconds after a tragedy can make the difference between life and death. be calm as you can , and assess your needs, quickly. this is hard to do as you may feel pain. or if you are unconscious there really is nothing you can do. but at least try if you are able to respond quickly and remove yourself from danger,and call for help .