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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1993-07-14, Page 10Page 10 Times-AdvoCate, July 14,1993 Safety week beglns July 25, but It must be pretftet Rollover prevention tips dew walk away from tractor accidence 'fX R -With all the effort put into tractor safety education by man- ufacturers, government and safety authorities, it is disheartening• to find that of -last years farm work- place fatalities ' in Ontario, - fully • three -quarters -Were linked to tractor eusc. In most instances,_uragedy could- ehave-been- prevented -by improving • the operators skill and knowledge of tractor safety. Overturns accounted for almost half of Iasi years -fatal tractor accidents. Rollovers usually result from one, or a combination, of several common mistakes, • Driving too fast for conditions • Striking surface irregularities, such•as rocks, stumpseand holes. attmning into ditches • ieDriving on steep slopes • ,-improper: operation of Loader -tractors. Large round bales and oth- er overweight loads greatly increase the overturnpotential . laths lad. injuries from tractor overtwns ;could be greatly reduced to almost nil through -the universal use of rollover protective structures (ROPS). However, tractors with- out ROPS are being used widely. Other tractor deaths are a result of riders falling fmm moving tractors. in many cases it is children that are the victims of this type of accident. To ensure this does not occur, never -allow children -to ride on The fenders or any where else on the tractor. There is a reason for having only one seat. Regardless of'the .utzards most tractor accidents result fteen opera- tor error. ,Every .tractor user should be thoroughly • familiar with the par- ticular machine they operate, and understand the -general principals of tractor safety. Familiarity can lead to carelessness. Seasoned operators have teen, involved: in - tractor. ace i- , dents when they pushed too hard to beat the weather or the clock. Every -tractor operator must be alertand'de- vote total attention to the task at hand. 'Paul Gose of Merton sits In front of the" tractor he was operating. when he suffered a paralyzing blow from a bale that fell from the front end loader because of Inadequate revers._ Matthew Turner installs a vent injury in the case of a ing three quarters of farm proper tractor safety. wither on his tractor to pre - rollover. Last year a stagger - accidents were linked to im- Take time to EXETER - In Ontario last year, (three farm workplace deaths result - cd from Power -take -off (PTO) en- tanglement. A PTO shaft revolving at 540 rpm travels more than two "I knewrght away 1 had been paralyzed'' By Erin Lobb T -A Staff ILDER'ION - "It was a- sloppy wet November day," recalls Paul • Gose, "I was just putting a bele in the bale feeder for .the cattle - like usual." This day however. had a • definitely unusual ending. Gose isn't sure if it was his cover- alls that caught on elle lever or that the lever was.locked. but the loader holding the bele. continued to rise. When the loader reached the top, the bale rolled off the loader and rolled over top of Gose. causing se- vere injury. "I knew right away that 1 had been paralyzed from the waist down," i $ e metres in less than a second. It's lit- tle svlondcr that driveline entanglc- mentlnenrly always results in devas- tating injury ordeath. Missing or damaged shielding is hydraulic \ accident leads to fatality for Ontario farmer EXETER - Though this years Faun Safety Week may focus on. PTO awareness, farm safety encom- passes much more. This spring an Ontario farmer was accidentally killed when the wing of his cultivator fell on him due to Reid leakage from the hydraulic cylinder. The Farm Salety Association wants to remind fanners to. take extra. pre- cautions when working with 'hy- draulic system~. Before servicing such systems .keep in mind a few common sense rules to prevent injury. Always shut off the engine powering the hy- draulic pump before making adjust- • 'AVMs. then lower the implement to the ground. To relieve. pressure. move the hydraulic control lever back and forth, and when working under implements in A raised poi - Lion. make sure it is blocked or sup- ported by something other than the cylinder itself. Remember to use caution when releasieg blocks or transport locks on equipment. If a cylinder has leaked and lost pres- sure the implement may fall to the ground as soon as, locks arc re- leased. When checking for leaks in hoses -,etc. use cardboard or wood. Even a small amount of fluid under pres- •aure can be injected through the skin and cause severe problems, if this occurs seek medical attention imme- diately. Hydraulics related accidents can be prevented if the proper measures are taken. Even if your rushed, stop and use common sense to pre- vent needless injury, said Gose. After waiting for about an hour Gose remembered :that a TN.—repairman —was--fixing—the .neighbours antenna, .and- be was able to shout and to .his attention. Gose says if the repairman hadn't of been there he doesn't know how long he would have been stren ded. Though Gose has recovered somewhat from the 1986 accident he still relys on a wheelchair, and the tractor he uses has been modi- fied to accommodate him by chang- ing the seat and loader. Gose recommends that fanners use proper levers on loaders, preferably ones + without locks. "Uon't be cheap," says Gose. the main reason for PTO entangle- ment. All shielding components must be correctly installed and prop- erly maintained to prevent injury in case of ttcc'dental contact. Operator awareness and constant vigilance are also crucial if PTO ac- cidents are to be avoided. Clear safety rules must be established for everyone who works with farm ma- chinery. Making repairs while equipment is operating, stepping over or onto revolving shafts, and wearing loose or frayed clothing arc actions that set the stage for entan- glement. Never operate a uactor with a missing or damaged master shield. Integral shields on equipment power shafts must be in place and well maintained to protect against the "grabbing" action of driveline and U joints. Both shaft attachment ends must be shielded. Universal joints and stub shafts need to be well covered. A PTO may break or separate dur- ing operation if improperly adjusted or misused. if it does, the tractor - driven end can swing vioteeftly, with potential \for severe damage and operator injury. Make sure all replacement driveline cornponegts meet manufacturer specifications. The tsactor drawbar should be ad justed to the length specified in the manual for the driven machin... This insures that the• teleax;opuru safety powershaft and shield will stay w- gether when they lengthen in opera- tion, and prevents the driveline from bottoming out. Good PTO safety habits are the key to preventing PTO entangle- ment. Some to consider are: • Always -disengage the PTO, shut off the engine and reprove the key before leaving the tractor seat. • Keep tractor master shield in place at all times. • Check frequently to confirm that integral shields arc in good condi- tion . With tic power shaft stopped, you should be able to ro- tate the shield freely by hand.:.00k for nicks, bends, or dents that could catch clothing. Replace or repair the damaged shields before the machine is operated. • Never step across ,a rotating powershaft. Some equielhent (e.g. forage wagons, blower�sVapd grind mixers) niust be operated in a sta- eonary location where you are working. Always walk around the revolving shaft. Safety devices arc reliable but can malfunction. • tress for safety. Wear close fit- ting clothes and keep long hair cov- ered. Raggy- old coats and long boot laces can easily be grabbed by rotating peas. Though Farm _Safety Week titins only from the July 25 to 31. good farm safety should be practised eve- ryday. He also suggests that if a farmer has a piece of machinery that has a bit of -a quirk. that -it -should -be fixed as soon as possible, if not the next person to -operate the machine, whether it's kids or a hired hand, who are not aware of it, could suf- fer an accident. "Once again," says •Gose, "don't be cheap." Finally, Gose suggests that you leave the beer in the fndgc, and. drink it after your work is done. Hot-sonea-tired fsrmereandalcohol don't mix. Though his wife and two kids oc- cupy quite a bit of his time, seven years later, Gose keeps busy play • - ing on a basketball team and helping out his father-in-law with planting and cultivating. Mike • - yter holds the ,oily Wok; on the PT 0 shield which protects him from being pulled in to the running PTO shaft. Mike knows safety is important, so he checks his egipnment for proper safety measures regulor- ly.