University of California Agricultural Health and Safety Center
Her
hair got caught in the rotating driveshaft. In a split second,
her whole scalp, from the back of her neck to the eyebrow
line, was torn away. When she came to, she was already in
the operating room. The injuries she sustained left her permanently
disfigured, despite extensive skin grafting.
This
is another true, sad account of a farm accident which happened
in July 1991 taken from the records of the National Institute
of Occupational Safety and Health. The victim was baling hay
on a windy day. She reportedly left the engine idle and did
not disengage the PTO as she went to make adjustments on the
back of the baler. Although the secondary driveline that powered
the bale thrower was shielded by an inverted U-shaped guard,
this still left the bottom of the driveline unguarded. he
woman's hair got caught as she was adjusting the tension levers
on the baler.
Scalping
is just one among many forms of injury that can result from
entanglement with PTO assemblies (or other moving parts of
farm machinery); amputated hands or arms, broken necks, shoulders
or spines, and even death are not uncommon. PTOs drive power
from the tractor to any attached implement- be it a baler,
feed auger, discs, etc. They are particularly potentially
dangerous, because they rotate as fast as 540 to 1,000 rpm.
The movement so extremely fast that there is no time to disentangle one's hair, clothing, or limb once it gets caught.
By following
a number of precautionary measures, accidents like these are
entirely avoidable. You must always remember the simple guidelines
below whenever you are working around machinery.
Wear
snug-fitting clothes. Tie long hair in a tight bun, or tuck
it under your hat or cap. Remove jewelry like necklaces, bracelets,
or a loose watch that can get caught.
Check
the machinery thoroughly at the beginning of the day and correct
any malfunctions before using it.
Make
sure that the necessary guards and shields of moving parts
are in place. These shields and guards should meet the standards
set by OSHA. If the equipment was manufactured before the
standards were in place, your employer should have it retrofitted
with the proper safety shields. Likewise, worn and damaged
shields should be promptly replaced.
If any
malfunction occurs while you are working, stop the machine.
Disengage the PTO and shut off the engine.
Remember
to replace shields and guards after making the needed repairs
or adjustments.
When
a piece of equipment malfunctions, some operators leave the
engine idling or keep the PTO engaged, believing that this
facilitates adjustment. Others simply do it to "save time".
If you are the type who does the latter, ask yourself: what
is more important- saving time, or saving your life? Remember:
entanglements happen as a result of contact with moving parts
of machinery. Always take the time to shut the machine off
and wait until the moving part(s) you need to work on has
come to a complete stop before even getting near it!
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
This
radio public service announcement was produced by the Agricultural
Health and Safety Center, Applied Behavioral Sciences of the
University of California at Davis. For further information contact
Jenny Rodriguez, UCCE, Ag. Bldg., County Civic Center, Visalia,
CA 93291-4584, (209) 733-6491.
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