Farm safety and health
Sep 22, 2009 9:57 AM
Safety, safety, safety, is the mantra of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers every day of the year, and especially during National Farm Safety and Health Week (Sept 20-26).
“We preach safety, awareness and preparedness 365 days a year,” said Darrin Drollinger, vice president of technical and safety services at AEM. “We support efforts to heighten safety awareness and we appreciate the designation of National Farm Safety and Health Week as an opportunity to emphasize that message in an even greater way.”
AEM commits time and resources to safety in the following ways:
Roll-Over Protective Structures (ROPS): As part of its continuing safety promotion work, AEM is developing operator education strategies about the value and safety that ROPS structures and seat belt use provide.
Common Lighting and Marking on Farm Equipment and Vehicles: AEM supports efforts toward a National Agricultural Lighting and Marking law. This would create uniform provisions for a high level of safety and compliance for all agricultural equipment that travels on U.S. highways, as defined in the ANSI/ASAE S279 standard.
Power-Take-Off Adaptors: AEM has developed a guidance letter that cautions against the use of Power-Take-Off (PTO) adaptors that have the potential to over-speed a tractor-driven implement that is not designed for high-speed rotation. Educating farm equipment operators and retailers about this potential will help prevent death or personal injury caused by flying parts and debris, product damage, and/or implement malfunction.
Pictorial Database: AEM developed a pictorial database used to communicate consistent hazards and their avoidance messages, available at http://www.aem.org/technical/.
Safety Zone at AG CONNECT EXPO: As a key part of the total Ag exposition, AEM is working with the Progressive Agriculture Foundation to coordinate a “safety zone” at AG CONNECT Expo 2010 (http://www.agconnect.com/). Universities and safety organizations will exhibit in a common area at the show with interactive safety exhibits and an emphasis on children safety programs.
For more information, contact Rich Jefferson, AEM (414) 274-0655 or rjefferson@aem.org.
