Carle Center for Rural Health & Farm Safety

The Carle Center for Rural Health and Farm Safety offers important information to help farmers throughout central Illinois. Information that can help save the lives of farmers, their families and their workers. For more information on the services of the Carle Center for Rural Health and Farm Safety, call 383-4606.

Some of the most important safety issues include:

Age Appropriate Tasks

Almost all parents believe that their child has exceptional abilities. While a child may be exceptionally bright, this does not mean that he/she has the physical, mental, and emotional ability needed to perform the same tasks as an adult or older child.

A national project team, consisting primarily of agricultural safety and child development specialists, recently released the North American Guidelines for Children's Agricultural Tasks (NAGCAT).

Guidelines were developed for 60 common agricultural tasks performed by children in the U.S. and Canada. Each guideline helps parents assess a child's abilities to perform a task based on various child development requirements. As an example, below is a list of questions, taken from the NAGCAT, to evaluate if a child is capable of safely driving a lawn tractor:

• Can the child reach and operate all controls while remaining completely seated on the lawn tractor?
• Does the child have the strength to fully operate the controls without using both feet or excess strain?
• Does the child have good peripheral vision?
• Can the child use his or her hands and feet simultaneously?
• Can the child understand and consistently repeat a 10-step process without written instructions?
• Does the child have a quick reaction time?
• Can the child recognize a hazard, problem solve, and respond without getting upset?
• Do you trust your child to do what is expected without checking on them?
• Does the child usually go with his or her "gut" feeling without thinking too much about the consequences?
• Does the child do "dangerous" things for the thrill of it?
• Has the child received training on how to operate the lawn tractor?
• Has an adult demonstrated the specific job on-site?
• Has the child safely demonstrated the job successfully 4 to 5 times under close supervision?
• Can an adult supervise as needed?

Call the Carle Center for Rural Health and Farm Safety at 383-3206 to see a complete copy of the NAGCAT or for information on how to order the guidelines.

First on the Scene

Farmers and farm workers are injured on the job everyday. To respond to these situations appropriately, it is important that farmers, farm workers, and farm family members be properly trained in first aid and other emergency response techniques.

Prepare yourself respond to a farm accident, by taking the following steps:

• Learn CPR. People can only live for 4-6 minutes without breathing. In rural areas, emergency responses often exceed that time.
• Know how to turn off all tractors and disengage all PTO shafts on your farm equipment.
• Equip all tractors and farm vehicles with dry chemical fire extinguishers and first aid kits.
• Post emergency numbers by all phones.
• Write down the directions to all farm locations and keep directions by all phones and in all vehicles.
• Take a First Aid class.

The Carle Center for Rural Health and Farm Safety offers "First on the Scene" emergency response classes. Call 383-3206 for more information.

Flowing Grain

With harvest underway, it is important to remember the dangers of flowing grain. Each year, people die needlessly after being engulfed by flowing grain. Flowing grain acts like quicksand and will engulf a 6' person in 15 seconds; a child is engulfed much faster.

To protect yourself, your family, and your employees from the dangers of flowing grain, follow these simple rules:

• NEVER allow children to play on, in, or around gravity flow wagons or grain bins.
• ALWAYS know the location of all family members and employees prior to unloading grain.
• NEVER enter a grain bin after it has been filled with grain without a safety harness that is equipped with a properly fastened life line.
• ALWAYS lock out loading/unloading mechanisms on grain bins prior to entering them for maintenance.
• NEVER enter a grain bin when grain is being augered out - the risk of entrapment is too great.
• ALWAYS break up crusted or bridged grain from the outside of the bin using a pole constructed of non-conductive material.

Rural Roadway Safety

Farm equipment moving on rural roadways can create headaches for both farmers and motorists. Hundreds of people are seriously injured or killed each year in collisions between farm equipment and automobiles.

Farmers and motorists should follow these simple rules to help improve safety on the highway:

• Farmers should mark the back of all farm equipment with a retro-reflective slow moving vehicle emblem and should mark the extremities and all sides of farm equipment with retro-reflective tape. Research has shown that extremity visibility is enhanced by mounting a flashing amber light that is visible to both the front and rear of equipment.
• Motorists should use caution and reduce speed when approaching a vehicle marked with a slow moving vehicle sign.
• Farmers should use proper lighting and turn signals when moving farm equipment on the road. Illinois law requires that farm equipment moved at night must at least have two white headlights visible to the front and two red tail lights visible for 1000 feet to the rear.
• Motorists should use extreme care when passing farm equipment - machinery is often wider than it appears from behind and the farmer could turn left onto a crossroad or into a field at any time.
• Farmers should put all equipment into transport position prior to exiting the field.
• Motorists should never stop suddenly in front of farm equipment. Farm equipment does not stop as quickly as an automobile.

Coping with Stress on the Farm

Farming has always been a stressful occupation; but recent downturns in the agricultural economy and poor weather conditions may contribute to increased financial and emotional stress for farmers this year. While it is impossible to eliminate stress, you can manage stress by:

• Taking care of yourself. Eat balanced meals, exercise, and get enough sleep.
• Taking time for yourself. Make time to relax - read a book, take a walk, or do some other activity that gives you pleasure.
• Talking about your problems. Talk to family members, friends, clergy or a counselor about the difficulties you are experiencing.
• Knowing your resources. There are organizations throughout Illinois that can help you with financial and emotional crises brought about by the farm economy.
• Accepting what is beyond your control. Farmers are very self-sufficient individuals, but no one controls the weather or the sunset.

The Carle Center for Rural Health and Farm Safety has phone numbers for organizations that assist farmers with financial and emotional stress. Call 383-3206 for more information.

Protecting Children on the Farm

The farm is a wonderful place for children. However there are many seen and unseen dangers that threaten a child’s well-being. Here are a few tips for protecting children on the farm:

• NEVER allow 2nd riders on farm equipment.
• NEVER allow children to play in or around grain transport equipment.
• NEVER allow children to play in farm shops or other farm buildings.
• NEVER allow children to play in or around farm ponds or manure lagoons.
• ALWAYS be sure that safety shields are in place on PTO’s and augers.
• ALWAYS supervise young children – hire a babysitter when both parents are in the field.
• ALWAYS remove the keys from tractors and other self-propelled machinery.
• ALWAYS be a role model. Follow farm safety guidelines.

Creating Safe Play Areas

One of the best ways to protect your children from the hazards of the farm is to create a safe play area. Safe play areas should:

• Be situated away from farm work areas and farm traffic
• Be visible from the house
• Be large enough for children to run around
• Have 9-12" of sand, pea gravel or wood chips covering the ground
• Be fenced in with fencing that is at least 4 feet high.

Here are some ideas for fun activities inside your safe play area:

• A sand box with lots of shovels, measuring cups, funnels, cars etc.
• A semi-enclosed space like a play house (these can be made of boxes or milk crates)
• A commercially made swingset assembled according to manufacturers instructions
• Ride on toys like tricycles & bicycles

Watch for these hazards:

• Swings should be made of lightweight, flexible material
• There should be no ladders above swings
• Any equipment that is over 30" high should be equipment with a guardrail
• There should be a 6’ clear area around all play equipment to reduce injury in the event of a fall
• Ropes and chains for climbing present a serious strangulation risk
• "S" hooks or other open hardware that can catch clothing also present a strangulation risk

New SMV Law in Illinois

The Illinois Vehicle Code has been updated to require that all slow moving vehicles that are operated on a roadway have an SMV emblem that is made of materials that satisfy ASAE standard 276.5. This law goes into effect on September 1, 2004. The new material is "retro reflective" and provides much higher visibility and remain reflective much longer than older materials.

SMV emblems should be mounted on the back of equipment and centered as well as possible. If the emblem cannot be centered, it should be placed as far left as practicable.

SMV emblems are designed ONLY for use on slow moving vehicles and may not be used for any other purpose. Anyone misusing an SMV can be fined $25 for the first offense and $75 for a second offense.