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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1994-07-27, Page 31THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 1994. PAGE 31. , RADFORD FARM EQUIPMENT LONDESBORO 523-4519 FARM MACHINERY IS A DANGEROUS TOY! HURON FEEDING SYSTEMS For Complete Feed and Grain Handling Equipment Brussels 887-6289 Generations McGAVIN of Service FARM EQUIPMENT 1*1—SUPPLY LID S») Z\ WALTON S -wetSJwl 527-0245/887-6365 liSERViCE WITH A SMILE 523-4211 Huron County Farm & Home Safety Association Apply sun screen lotions, and keep glass between the sun and the skin whenever possible. (The sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays are minimized as light passes through glass. JULY 25th TO JULY 31st LMS Equipment R.R. #1 Listowel 291-5390 1-800-263-9289 BLYTH & DISTRICT FIRE DEPARTMENT Tractor safety’s in your hands It is important to recognize that a farm tractor, as an inanimate source of power, can only cause injury or death when manipulated by a human operator. Rollovers account for more than half of fatal tractor accidents, and are responsible for many disabling injuries and considerable property damage. Chief causes of rollovers include: driving too fast for conditions; striking surface irregularities, such as rocks; running into ditches; hitching high for extra traction; driving on steep slopes; improper operation of front-end loaders. Large round bales and other overweight loads greatly increase overturn potential. Many fatalities, many of them children are the result of riders falling from moving tractors. Entanglement in rotating power-take-off (PTO) shafts which are often inadequate or non-existent is a major cause of tractor-related deaths and serious Injuries. Other mishaps involving tractors include: collisions with motor vehicles or roadside objects; falls while mounting or dismounting; running over bystanders; striking overhead hazards; being struck by flying objects, broken parts, or hydraulic fluid; being crushed when a poorly supported tractor falls during repair work; cuts, bruises, burns, and other painful injuries associated with maintenance and routine operation; being overcome by exhaust gases inside closed buildings; being crushed between a tractor and equipment during hitching or unhitching; being burned by fires that erupt during refuelling or as a result of collision or upset. Most tractor accidents can be attributed to operator error. Every tractor user should be thoroughly familiar with the particular machine he/she Is operating, and understand the general principles of tractor safety. Accident prevention starts with knowledge. Tractor operators must understand the various hazards that may be encountered. They must know how their machine operates, and how to maintain it in top running condition. Skill in tractor operation is developed only through countless hours behind the wheel. However, an experienced operator can have a serious accident, too. Familiarity can lead to carelessness, and a seasoned tractor driver may push too hard to beat the weather or the clock. All tractor operators must be alert and devote all of their attention to the task at hand. For more information contact the Farm Safety Association’s Guelph office. Tractor Safety Back to the basics The tractor continues to be the number one killer on Ontario farms. From 1977 through 1992, 288 people died while using tractors in the course of doing farm work. This represents almost half (48 percent) of all farming-related fatalities in Ontario. Sideways and rear rollovers accounted for 167 of these deaths. Other tractor-related fatalities resulted from bystanders and passengers being run over, falling from tractors, being crushed, or getting caught in the power take-off. A number of deaths occurred when farm tractors collided with other vehicles on the road. We need to get back to the basics of tractor safety. That’s why the Farm Safety Association chose Tractor Safety as its 1994 theme. The carnage must stop! The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food has provided funding to help the Association promote tractor safety to its members and the total agricultural community. The projects will include production of various pieces of tractor safety literature, a display program, and a new tractor safety video. We hope that this intensive tractor safety program will help reduce the number of tractor-related deaths on Ontario farms. This page is sponsored by these community-minded businesses: ESTABLISHED l XX4 Yvonne Knight R.R. #3 Brussels 887-6476 Insurance Vl FARM EQUIPMENT LIMITED SEAFORTH 527-0120 Are your safety shields in place? McKiilop PjJ Mutual Insurance * p 527-0400 Brussels Agromart Ltd Fertilizer, Chemicals, Feed & Seed ^Terru The UM Blyth Store 523-9681 howtok Brussels Store 887-9661 Est. 1873 MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY Wroxeter, Ontario 519-335-3561 1-800-265-3033 Quality Service To Our Policyholders is the Cornerstone of Everything We Do! Residential Farm Life CARDIFF & MULVFY RE Al ESTATE & INSURANCE ITO Brussels Livestock Box 59 Brussels, Ontario NOG 1H0 887-6461 Brussels 887-6100 MATT GEORGE TOWNSEND TIRE 523-4742 After Hours 522-1629 Checking Tire Pressure and Rim Maintenance should be the starting point of all circle checks. TLle’ll “Kfep you Uptting!