The Rural Voice, 2001-03, Page 38d%a1'
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Safety 1 A-21
Mac 2001
March 14 - 21, 2001
is Canadian Agricultural Safety Week and this year's theme is
"Runovers Are Preventable".
Incidents involving farm machinery are the leading cause of injury
and death on Canadian farms. And, runovers by agricultural
equipment, primarily tractors, account for one in four deaths and
one in eight hospitalizations of work related farm injuries.
;ACT Runovers by agricultural equipment, primarily
account for one in four deaths and one in eight
•; work related farm injuries.
BE WATCHFUL FOR CO-WORKERS AND USE HAND SIGNALS TO COMMUNICATE.
•
dik
FACT, AImc
half (44%) of child fatalities on the farm are
MAKE A FENCED -IN PLAY AREA FOR CHILDREN.
bratlons from an idling tractor can slip the transmission
use a runover.
TURN OFF THE IGNITION BEFORE DISMOUNTING.
TRACTOR ACTIVITIES HAVE GREATEST RISK OF RUNOVERS
As might be expected, the tractor is the agricultural implement involved in 80% of
runover injuries. Each year in Canada, fifteen people are killed and another 80 are
hospitalized as a result of being run over by a tractor. These injuries also tend to
occur most frequently in the warm weather months when tractors are in greatest use.
Agricultural work activities that are most commonly associated with tractor runover
injuries include:
• 60% are runovers of co-workers or bystanders, with small children being
particularly at risk;
The remaining 40% are:
• falls from the tractor by extra riders who are then run over;
• runovers of tractor operators who leave the tractor running while they are off the tractor; and
• runovers of tractor operators who are jump starting the tractor.
Tractor operators are frequently injured when they dismount the tractor but leave the tractor running while they move an
obstruction or clean the power take -off (PTO). The vibrations of the idling tractor slips the transmission onto gear, and
the operator is runover.
Here are a few things that can be done to help prevent runovers on your farm:
• Equipment operators, as well as workers in the area, need to be aware of each other's whereabouts.
• Equipment operators and co-workers should use industry standard hand signals to communicate from a safe distance.
• Workers and children should wear reflective or bright coloured clothing to help be more easily seen by equipment
operators.
• Tractor operators should routinely turn-off the ignition before dismounting equipment.
• Don't "jump-start" your tractor. Get the ignition fixed immediately.
34 THE RURAL VOICE