There are a wide variety of dangers associated with farming, and one very serious danger is machinery fires. However, there are safety and prevention measures that farmers can take now, in the off-season, to avoid fires later on down the road.
John Shutske is a Farm Health & Safety Specialist with UW-Extension and a Professor in Biological Systems Engineering. He outlines the fire dangers that arise with farm machinery and how folks can take time to prevent that scary situation.
Shutske shares that one of the most important measures a farmer can take is regularly cleaning and blowing off their equipment during harvest. For now, farmers should inspect their machinery to catch anything that might pose a problem. But during the harvest season, it is key to take 15-30 minutes each day to clean off machinery.
“You’ve got that old adage of make hay while the sun shines, and that means go, go, go once things get started,” adds Shutske. “But it is important to take those extra moments every day.”
Shutske goes on to add that if someone gets caught in a machine that’s on fire, the biggest thing they need to focus on is getting away from crop materials and residue and turning the engine off. The next step would be to call for help and attempt to extinguish the fire, but Shutske reminds us that not every fire can be put out by the farmer. Safety comes first.
Leave a Reply