Farm Safety: Working Alone

Farming can be a dangerous business, especially when working alone. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the agriculture sector is the most dangerous in the country. There are 573 fatalities each year in the farming profession, which equals 23 deaths per 100,000 workers. These statistics are serious and troubling. Many of the injuries suffered are a result of the isolated nature of working on a farm. Agriculture workers are often required to work alone or in a remote location. Thus, if something goes wrong, the worker does not have any immediate help available.

There are tasks that should never be done alone on the farm, such as working in a confined space. In fact, it’s usually best to work in pairs or groups. However, if you need to do a task alone, first stop, think, and act. Stop and ask yourself what could go wrong. How bad could it be? Has anything changed? Then think. Ask yourself if you clearly understand the task. Are you physically and mentally ready? Do you have the right tools? This checklist is for those instances where you feel safe enough to act.

SAFETY CHECKLIST

• Can the task be completed at a different time with more than one person? How?
• Consider what hazards exist when working alone, such as heights, machinery, livestock, and chemicals.
• How can you eliminate these hazards, substitute them with something safer, or create barriers between yourself and the hazards?
• Are you and your employees fully trained on safely doing the task?
• Are you rested, focused, fed, and hydrated?
• Does someone know where you’ll be and what you’ll be doing? Do they plan to check on you at a certain time?
• Does this person have supplies if you’re injured? Do you have a fully-stocked first aid kit? (See resources below).
• Stick to a return plan. Who will make sure you’ve returned at the agreed-upon time?
• Do you have the appropriate tools with you?
• Are you wearing all of the correct personal protective equipment (PPE) for the job?
• Do you have an emergency plan in place, including what you’ll do if injured, or an escape plan when working with livestock?

You and/or your employee(s) can download and print a pdf checklist to complete safety checks on your farm. Keep the completed forms for follow-up, future reference, and inspections.

DOWNLOAD PDF SAFETY CHECKLIST

Web Solutions to Protect Ag Workers

There are a number of web-based mobile applications designed to keep remote workers safe through monitoring solutions. Below is a monitoring system designed specifically for farmworkers. Pricing is around $15 - $30 per user and can offer a fairly inexpensive way to help keep your family and workers safe.

SafetyLine is a cloud-based worker safety monitoring solution that works on all your existing devices. It is designed to protect employees who are exposed to both low and high-risk environments, as well as employees who are required to work alone. Check-in timers enable employees to confirm their safety throughout the day. Check-in intervals can be customized based on the risk of the task at hand. More dangerous tasks should be accompanied by more frequent check-in intervals so that employees can confirm their safety more often. For instance, employees who will be operating a tractor all afternoon without any supervision could set their time to check in every 15 minutes. That way, their organization will know they are safe. If an employee misses a check-in, a monitor will be notified right away and be able to respond quickly. The use of a check-in system is a great way to prevent emergencies before they happen. You can learn more about what it means to be proactive, in our previous blog article “A Comprehensive look into Proactive Safety“

SOURCES:

Upper Midwest Agriculture Safety and Health - http://umash.umn.edu/farm-safety-check-working-alone/

SafetyLine - https://safetylineloneworker.com/blog/the-dangers-of-working-alone-in-agriculture