Parents and farm safety

By Dan Martens,

U of M Extension

The following story came to me by way of Extension colleagues Ray Bisek in Mahnomen and Norman Counties, and Jerry Tesmer in Fillmore County. Ray comments that parents have a lot of influence on their children’s actions. As a community we can do Farm Safety Day Camps, tractor safety training, and give cute coloring books to youngsters about farm safety, but the power of example is even greater. Despite all the efforts, the parents have the toughest job; they have to practice farm safety every day to demonstrate to their children the right way to do things! Here’s the story: “I went with my husband to bale some straw at 4 p.m. today. Chores were done in the dairy barn and we figured we could get 200 bales loaded up quick. So, we are out in the field and he’s helping me get the tractor into gear (it sticks and my wrists are helplessly weak so I couldn’t do it). Then my husband STEPS OVER the running PTO! I was so mad! I waited until we finished loading the bales and I got off the tractor and walked over to him. He’s talking about how a neighbor wants to buy 60 bales and I politely say “I’m sorry, excuse me” and then I punch him in the stomach as hard as I could! Then I burst into tears. I’ve only hit my husband twice in my life. This was the second time.

He starts yelling and wants to know why I did that. So, I tell him he’s an idiot who has a death wish! I go on about how I can’t raise four kids by myself and how irresponsible his behavior was and how he can’t be teaching our kids to do stupid stuff like jumping over a PTO shaft!

His response – are you ready … “I’m tall enough it wasn’t going to hurt me.”

I almost swung again! He hollers at the kids if they climb on one when the tractor is off and tells them to never even play around it. And he steps over a running one! I think I’m getting a migraine! I told him that he can’t ever do that again and I don’t care if the kids aren’t around to see him do it, just don’t do it! He tells me that he can’t promise that. I’m contemplating using a shovel on the back of his head next. Thanks for the vent. Amy on the Farm.”

I could list a number of situations recently where I took short cuts that could have resulted in serious injury and a couple that resulted in a minor injury. In the press of time, the weather, and other demands, it’s tremendously tempting to take shortcuts.

As I have the good fortune of growing older, I am sometimes reminded that I can’t do things the same way I could 20 or 30 years ago. Jumping off the bottom step of the ladder on a gravity box, climbing up on a load of hay, being sure-footed and quick of hand on the silo ladder are some of the tasks I need to consider a little more carefully. We might be wise to add another step to the tractor cab or to extend the ladder on the gravity box or grain bin, along with adding a hand rail here and there. These are good things to consider in our youth as well. Twenty years of jumping off things can create a cumulative pounding on our knees and other joints that shows up later. Injuries in our younger years can be the weak points that take to aching and limiting our abilities later on.

The National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Safety’s Web site provides information specifically about safety for children around the farm. One article is titled “Creating Safe Play Areas on Farms”. The Web site is www.marshfieldclinic.org/NCCRAHS/.