Week designed to highlight safety during harvest season
by Scarlett Miller, posted Sept. 14, 2009
For many college students, September is a time for classes, football and socializing. What many don’t realize is that with fall also comes harvest season, which includes farm machinery on the roadways and workers being exposed to dangerous situations.
To raise awareness of the hazards of agriculture, the National Farm Safety and Rural Health Week is Sept. 20-26.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics ranked farming as the 6th most dangerous job in the United States in 2007. According to this list, there are 37.1 deaths per 100,000 workers, even though the number has decreased over the years due to improving technology and higher safety standards.
Farm Safety 4 Just Kids, an organization dedicated to promoting a safe farm environment for youth, is using this time of the year to spread the message of “Stay Alert, Aware, and Alive.” Charlotte Jackson, an agricultural education senior, is the Missouri regional coordinator for Farm Safety 4 Just Kids.
“A week dedicated to safety awareness is a way to get the word out and grab the attention of the public to a set of issues that are not always recognized,” Jackson said. “Safety should be every person's priority."
To raise awareness at Mizzou, the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources Week Steering Committee is sponsoring Public Safety Day from 3 to 6 p.m. on Sept. 17 at Trowbridge Livestock Arena as a part of CAFNR Week. This new addition to the annual CAFNR week is focused on educating people about all aspects of safety, from agricultural to home to even industrial.
Another event that highlights the importance of safety is the Farm Safety College, sponsored by Mizzou Collegiate Cattlewomen. The event brings hundreds of high school students to MU for a day of agricultural safety lessons.
“Students have the awesome opportunity to get involved through these activities,” said Jackson, who is also a member of CCW. “We are the next generation and have a breadth of knowledge to which those younger and older alike may not be completely in tune.”
As more farm machinery clog rural roads, Farm Safety 4 Just Kids offers these tips to keep these roads safe:
- Follow the limit. Speeding drivers may not be able to avoid a collision with a slow moving vehicle.
- Be patient when following farm machinery. Only pass in designated zones when the roadway is clear of oncoming traffic.
- Never ride or allow passengers in the cargo area of a pickup.
- Be cautious of loose gravel, soft shoulders, tight curves and blind intersections caused by mature crops.
- Tips such as these could safe numerous lives, which proves an awareness week such as this is important.
For more information, visit the Farm Safety 4 Just Kids Web site.
