With increasing pressure from rising fuel and feed costs, it’s not surprising some farmers are tempted to cut corners on safety. But the chilling truth is no amount of farming experience can protect you from accidents if you don’t have the right safety measures in place. Just because it hasn’t happened, doesn’t mean it won’t. Farming is a risky business.
Would you jump out of a plane without checking?
The statistics speak for themselves. Farming for 14 days is as risky as a skydive*. You wouldn’t consider jumping from a plane without the proper training, equipment and safety checks. Yet, every day, farmers are subjecting themselves to a similar type of risk without thinking about their safety.
Research into the farming community has highlighted safety as a major concern for farmers. But how do we ensure it is always a top priority? AGCO Parts teamed up with the Farm Safety Foundation (FSF) in the UK to identify the main areas of concern.
- Visibility. Simple measures like cleaning windscreens or installing a reversing camera can make a huge difference. If you can’t see it, you can’t avoid it.
- Attitude. Taking safety seriously, every day. Accepting safety is key to doing a good job.
- All day, every day. Safety is more than a leap of faith. Not carrying out proper checks or training or using the right equipment for EVERY job is leaving safety to chance.
- Fatigue. Ignoring or not understanding the signs of fatigue is a major cause of farm accidents.
Refresh your farm safety knowledge
Remind yourself of the dangers of working with slurry or near overhead powerlines. Get advice on spotting the signs of fatigue and how to keep children safe on your farm. These and more key safety topics are now covered in a range of practical, easy-read guides from AGCO Parts and Service. Keep up-to-date on the things you need to know to keep everyone on your farm safe.
* figures based on statistics from British Skydiving, HSE and ONS in the UK.
Win a reversing camera
As part of AGCO Parts dedication to safe, all-round visibility, we are giving away five, hi-res, large screen, reversing cameras. Suitable for retrofitting to almost any machine. Click here for a chance to win.
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