Health and safety in agriculture – what you need to know

Unfortunately, a large number of dangerous incidents occur in the countryside each year. When doing farm work, every person should take extra care.

In theory, the larger the farm, the greater the risk of an accident. This is due to, among other things, a large number of agricultural machines, equipment, pens, farm rooms and potentially dangerous animals. Every farm owner or manager should continually perform or contract for preventive work to reduce the risk of dangerous situations.

Transporting and operating farm machinery

One of the most dangerous activities performed in agriculture is the operation of machinery. This is often due to vehicles that are well past their prime. On many farms, farmers work with modern tractors and harvesters, but a large number of farmers still use old equipment. Why is it dangerous to work with machines and vehicles?

• The first reason is that communication is much more difficult. Often when machinery is operating, the noise is so great that it is impossible to warn the operator of potential danger.

• Driving farm vehicles and operating machinery is often done by inexperienced people. Before anyone begins this type of work, they should be trained and initially perform their duties under the supervision of someone more experienced.

• It is unacceptable for minors to drive vehicles. Although educational campaigns have significantly reduced this phenomenon, such situations still occur. Children are often unaware of the dangers of operating heavy equipment and disregard health and safety rules.

Every owner or manager of a farm should fill in the survey available at this link http://www.bhpwrolnictwie.pl/pdf/lkdzn.pdf. You will find many interesting questions, especially about children.

Preventive fire measures

One of the key issues on any farm, even a small farm, is fire prevention. Farm rooms are often constructed of varnished wood. If you add to this a large amount of dry hay, you get an extremely flammable combination.

• An absolute staple is fire extinguishers located in an easily accessible place. It is good practice to choose large fire extinguishers, which are more effective than their smaller counterparts in the event of a fire. Fire extinguishers must also be located in rooms where animals are present.

• An often overlooked issue is electrical wiring. It is imperative that all circuits be protected with so-called circuit breakers. In addition, every electrical box should be locked.

Storage of dangerous substances and tools

Many farms use crop protection products to increase crop yields, among other things. It is necessary to store them in a closed room where children and animals do not have access. It is not uncommon for these substances to be dangerous in high concentrations.

• Another issue is the storage of various types of animal medicines, cleaning products and even grease and oil. All of these substances pose a real danger, so they cannot be kept in public areas.

• Children should also not have access to dangerous tools that are relatively easy to hurt themselves with.

Chemicals are dangerous to both skin and eyes. They also often give off choking fumes. If swallowed, they can cause far-reaching health consequences.

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First aid on a farm

Anyone who is permanently or periodically on a farm should be able to administer first aid. This also applies to children. First of all, everyone must know the emergency number 112 and learn how to briefly and honestly present a dangerous event. Such conversations can be carried out several times on a trial basis, so that everyone will know what to ask the employee of the dispatch center.

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