Injury Prevention - Winter Slip and Fall Safety



Ag Safety S.T.A.T. August 2015

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AG SAFETY S.T.A.T. - SAFE TACTICS FOR AG TODAY

Vol. 8 No. 8 August 2015

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MONTHLY SAFETY SNICKER

ANNOUNCEMENT- 2015 Farm Science Review

INJURY PREVENTION – Identifying Workplace Hazards

INJURY PREVENTION – Working and Harvesting the Garden with Arthritis or other Physical Limitations

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT - National Preparedness Month

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Monthly Safety Snicker

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ANNOUNCEMENT- CHECK OUT AG SAFETY AT THE 2015 FARM SCIENCE REVIEW! 

OSU Agricultural Safety and Health program staff has been working hard to offer some new and exciting educational displays and demonstrations for attendees of this year’s Farm Science Review, September 22-24.

Come check out the following opportunities:

Grain Bin Lifeline Simulator- Demonstration on an entry system for establishing a grain bin lifeline when an engulfment hazard is present - daily 9:30 am, 10:30 am, 11:30 am, 12:30 pm, 1:30pm - OSU Central, on Kottman Street side

Grain Safety- Self guided tour of the GRAIN C.A.R.T. to learn about the hazards associated with grain handling, grain engulfment, and auger entanglement.

Ohio AgrAbility Peer Network- Farmers Sharing Experiences to Solve Problems- Daily talks at 10:00 am and 1:00 pm – OSU Central on the Land Ave side

Ohio AgrAbility Assistive Technology Show & Tell - OSU Central, on the Land Ave side

Ohio AgrAbility and Universal Design for Garages and Farm Shops - McCormick Building on Friday Ave

Ohio AgrAbility also offers the following for Farm Science Review attendees:

* A charging station for mobile scooter at the Ohio AgrAbility tent.

* Exhibit to Field Demo Transportation- The "AgrAbility" Bus will be available from noon to 4 p.m. daily to transport individuals between the exhibit area and field demonstrations. The bus will be available at the main shuttle location at the administration headquarters building.

For more information to map out your day at this year’s Farm Science Review, visit FSR.osu.edu.

INJURY PREVENTION – Identifying Workplace Hazards

Kent McGuire – OSU Ag Safety and Health Coordinator

No matter if you are finishing summer farm tasks or preparing for fall harvest, it is important to assess the safety hazards within your work area. The ability to assess potential hazards before an injury occurs is a key component of working safely and protecting the safety of those working around you. All agricultural work environments present their own unique safety hazards. No two areas or work tasks are the same, however there are general guidelines that can be followed:

- Confirm there are no slip, trip and fall hazards such as liquid spills, tools, debris, loose grain, or elevation changes on the floor or ground.

- Be mindful of material/chemical injuries due to splashes in the eyes or on the skin. Also watch for over-exposure in dusty environments or with vapors and mists.

- Read safety labels and understand terms such as flammable, combustible, corrosive and potential for personal injury.

- Recognize travel patterns of farm equipment and moving vehicles to reduce the potential for collisions, run-overs and other injuries.

- Verify machine guarding is in place and properly functioning to avoid equipment hazards such as pinch-points, cut points, wrap points, burns, or stored energy.

- Consider any processes that may generate flying debris or thrown objects that can cause blunt trauma including eye injuries, struck by, or punctures.

- Ensure emergency stops or shut down procedures work properly.

- Verify that air, water and hydraulic lines are in good condition to minimize uncontrolled release.

- Determine if Personal Protective Equipment is being used and is proper for the job.

- Be aware of any overhead and falling hazards that may be present in your workspace.

- Consider factors like fatigue and repetitive motion that can have an impact over long periods of time.

The final guideline is the most important. Take the proper actions required to fix a hazard once it is identified. If immediate action can be taken, such as cleaning up spills, repairing equipment, securing loads or adjusting work processes, then do so.

For more information about OSU Ag Safety visit or contact Kent McGuire, OSU Agricultural Safety & Health, at mcguire.225@osu.edu or 614-292-0588.

Injury Prevention – Working in and Harvesting the Garden with Arthritis or other Physical Limitations

Andy Bauer – Educational Program Coordinator Ohio AgrAbility

Arthritis tends to affect most farmers and gardeners in their hands, knees, and hips because these joints take the most pressure. These same joints also are affected by people with other physical limitations such as limited mobility, knee pain, fatigue, and unable to get up if sitting on the ground. Simple tips will help in making the task at hand easier to do.

- Plan your day ahead -Do the more physical jobs first early in the day when it is cooler and you are not as tired.

- Don’t try to do all the jobs at one time, take regular breaks and allow your body time to rest and recover.

- If the day is hot, get into some shade to cool off. Change the tasks you are doing to reduce fatigue.

- Use a cart, wagon, or other means to take your bucket, tools and supplies to the garden at one time. Cut down on repeated trips.

- Ask for help in doing cumbersome tasks.

- Avoid stressful positions and change positions frequently.

- Use a garden stool or chair when possible to take the weight off your joints.

- Use knee or kneeling pads to reduce stress when working on your knees.

- Use foam pipe insulation to build up handles on buckets, baskets, or other items used to reduce stress on the hands.

Remember: Pain is the body’s way of telling you to slow down or stop for the day. Respect it. Have an enjoyable gardening experience.

For more information on Arthritis contact the Arthritis Foundation at arthritis- for a booklet titled Arthritis and Agriculture: A Guide to Understanding and Living with Arthritis or the Ohio Agrability Program at agrability.osu.edu or Andy Bauer at bauer742@osu.edu or (614) 247-7681.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT - National Preparedness Month

2015 Theme: Don't Wait. Communicate. Make Your Emergency Plan Today.

September is National Preparedness Month. This year we are asking you to take action now – make a plan with your community, your family, and for your pets. Plan how to stay safe and communicate during the disasters that can affect your community. We ask everyone to participate in America’s PrepareAthon! and the national day of action, National PrepareAthon! Day, which culminates National Preparedness Month on September 30.

2015 weekly hazard focused themes:

Week 1: September 1-5th Flood

Week 2: September 6-12th Wildfire

Week 3: September 13-19th Hurricane

Week 4: September 20-26th Power Outage

Week 5: September 27-30th Lead up to National PrepareAthon! Day

The official Social Media Toolkit will be released the first week in August.

Social media accounts to follow include: @Readygov and @PrepareAthon

Official Hashtags include: #NatlPrep and #PrepareAthon

For more information on National Preparedness Month visit

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Ag Safety S.T.A.T. – Safe Tactics for Ag Today is an e-mail newsletter prepared by Dee Jepsen, Extension Agricultural Safety Specialist and team members from the State Safety Office, in the Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering at OSU. The primary goal of this monthly newsletter is to help you stay connected to everyday safety news and activities that maybe used in your own newsletters or programs. If you have safety-related questions or program ideas that you would like to share, please contact Dr. Jepsen at jepsen.4@osu.edu

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