Marylee
Hill
New York
Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health
With
summer fast approaching, the atmosphere on most farms is becoming
more and more hectic. Often times it is safety that gets overlooked
during the hustle and bustle of this time of year. Now is
the perfect time to make sure your safety measures are as
good as possible. One way to ensure this is to check your
tractor over to make certain it is safe. Here are some helpful
guidelines to use when you check over your tractor's safety.
- Make
sure the wheels of our tractor are set as wide as possible
for a particular job. The broader the wheel base, the less
likely it will be that the tractor will turn over.
- Make
sure that your tractor is matched to its load. Many fatalities
have been caused by the loss of control of a tractor that
was going down hill with a heavy load. Even on level ground,
the load should be no more than two times as heavy as the
tractor.
- Make
sure that your tractor's steering and braking mechanisms,
gauges, and lights are working properly.
- Make
sure you check all fluid levels, fan belts, tire pressures,
and hydraulic lines, and check for fluid leaks before every
use.
- Be
sure to have a slow moving vehicle emblem in good condition
mounted on the rear of the tractor. The tractor and towed
implements should also be outfitted with the appropriate
reflectors and lights. These things are a must, and will
help protect your from a rear end collision.
- Review
safety procedures in your manual regularly. Your operator's
manual is the best safety guide you have, so make good use
of it. Give yourself a few days to get used to new equipment,
and study the manual carefully.
- Finally,
no matter how much they beg, never let your small children
ride with you on the tractor. One recent 20-year study of
tractor fatalities found that in accidents involving an
extra rider, 73 percent of the deaths were children under
the age of 10. Don't let your child become a farm fatality
statistic. Say no to tractor rides.
Disclaimer
and Reproduction Information: Information in NASD does not
represent NIOSH policy. Information included in NASD appears
by permission of the author and/or copyright holder. More
NASD Review: 04/2002
Marylee Hill, Agricultural
Injury and Illness Nurse, NYCAMH.
This
public service announcement was produced by the New York Center
for Agricultural Medicine and Health (NYCAMH), One Atwell
Road, Cooperstown, New York 13326 - Ph# (607) 547-6023 or
(800) 343-7527 in the northeast. Publication date: 1994.
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