5 Safety Tips for Farmers and Farm Equipment

Read the user manual for every device. Make sure you know the local laws surrounding your farm machines—especially as they pertain to driving these machines on the road.

Yes, you want to use all the community infrastructure you have to your advantage, but you must use those resources wisely.

You also need to make sure that the slow-moving insignia is readily visible on the machine. If you’ve been using the machine for a while, you may want to clean the slow-moving decal or replace it.

Dress Properly for Farm Work

You must dress properly for the season and the work you’re doing; Loose fitting clothing can get caught in farm machinery. Clothing that doesn’t cover your skin will result in massive sunburns.

Wear gloves when necessary. Wear a hat. Wear the proper shoes—in some cases, these are steel-toed boots.

At the same time, you should rest properly the night before. Set out your clothes the night prior to working, go to bed at a reasonable time, and set your alarm for a solid eight hours of sleep every night.

Heightened Awareness on the Farm

While no one is advocating for blind paranoia, you should have heightened awareness around the farm. You need to know where all the machines are, along with other items, including:

• What’s that sound?
• What direction is that machine taking?
• Where is everybody?
• Are the animals out and about?

All these things add up to a sense of awareness that builds a safety culture around the farm and across the homestead.

Also, you should always avoid alcohol and drugs before operating farm equipment. If you suspect that someone on the farm is intoxicated, pull them out of work and send them home to sober up.

Work Slowly

Speed demons and farm equipment don’t go together. Work slowly. Take your time. Stop when you need to and be extra diligent behind the wheel. The best thing you can do is expect to spend at least an extra hour on a task due to the slow speeds achieved by farm machinery.

Even if your farm manages processing equipment, you must plan to work slowly. You don’t want to push your team or the machines to the maximum.

Keep Children Out of the Area

This goes without saying, but kids should not be in the area when you’re operating heavy machinery. You need to keep strict rules on the farm about where kids should be when machines are in operation. Plus, you should only host older children on the machines when you’re riding around.