Kapil Arora, Field Engineer, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, visits about Farm Safety and Health Week. Arora talks about several matters, but really focuses on traffic safety on rural roads. He encourages both the traveling public and producers to have patience at this time of the year, especially due to the very wet conditions.
Transcript
On our program today we are going to be talking about Farm Safety Health Week this week and joining us in our studio we’ve got Kapil Aurora. Kapil is a field ag engineer with Iowa State University Extension Outreach. He’s talked with us about a variety of things over the years, different things and this time we’re going to talk about Farm Safety Week. Bill, thanks for joining us. Yeah, good morning Jim. Thanks for having me on and yes we will talk about farm safety today. We’ve got a lot of different things. I kind of in you know one of the main things that I looked at it really caught my attention is we this is time of the year. Usually we’ve got harvest going on so it is the time where we talk about a lot of vehicles out on the roads, different sized vehicles and I know that’s one of the things that you have information on and we really aren’t having a lot of vehicles out on the roads at this time. It’s a little bit on the wet side out there. Yeah, it is on the wet side but things have started and things are in motion because right now folks are actually just transferring grain from bends to other bends although that started a little bit earlier with the intention of getting the bends cleaned out, getting the last of the grain moved out and sold and get ready for the harvest. So the traffic has started to show up on the roads but it’s going to get real busy here. The minute this rain stops and things dry out we’ll have combines rolling out to get to those beans that are getting ready to harvest and right behind that would be our corn harvest. I know that some and it’s some that I’ve talked to again yeah they’re anxious they would like to but they also know they need some drying time. We just got to be patient for this weather to dry down otherwise we’ll one the rain has to stop. Yeah. That faucet has to turn off and and get a good drying period with some heat and the weather back in to get things dried out so the soil is able to hold up the traffic weight and and be able to do things that way and as things move around you’re going to see grain carts moving around you’re going to see grain trucks moving around you’re going to see combines going from field to another field so all of a sudden our roads are going to get busy even though they may not be right now today but they will get busy here shortly. They will be and that’s the one thing too when that happens. I think you get a lot of big vehicles on rural roads and producers are looking to get from that one field to the next one or to try to you know get in there and make sure they avoid the wet spots and things like that but it is one of those where we do get a lot of mixed traffic on the roadways. That’s one of the things I know you wanted to talk about. Yes. So safety on the road itself is a big concern with farm safety. Our equipment is big. Our equipment is not small but at the same time are most of our vehicles that are on the road just from journal public standpoint. We drive pickup trucks and we drive SUVs and stuff like that and they are quick but when you are dealing with farm equipment you got to measure and gauge your distance. So I talk about road safety in terms of both the driver of farm equipment but also the driver of other vehicles non-farm equipment on the road. It is a shared road and therefore we have a shared responsibility for safety. Both parties need to recognize that we have to be safe. So from a farmer operator of that farm machinery they need to be making sure that they are not putting vehicles right behind one other so you kind of space things out. Sure. Give room for other traffic to move in and out. Yeah and one of the other things is if they’re moving from field to field and you all of a sudden you come up behind them give them time because it’s kind of the same with snow plows. They’ll shift over if they have an opportunity to let you get by. Oh definitely and many of them will move as far over onto the shoulder as possible but we as driver of a car or an SUV or a pickup truck need to recognize that that person cannot move any farther over because of the center of gravity of that combine or center of gravity of that green card that is fully loaded. If that center of gravity tips over that piece of equipment has the potential to turn over into the road ditch and create another issue for that farmer or the driver so they can’t move all the way over so we need to recognize that the equipment’s moving slow. We need to recognize the fact that as they go up and down the slopes their speed is going to change. So we need to be cognizant of those variations that happen and we need to accurately assess the distance and the time it’s going to take us to pass because if we are slowed down and we are behind somebody behind a combine or a green card and it’s going uphill you you have a blind spot now over that hill that you may not be able to see. That’s right. And you are coming behind this thing you have slowed down if you decide to pass and you move over in the other it is going to take you time to accelerate and get around it’s not going to be very quick and that can create another problem by itself because now you have that blind spot that you can’t really see. So things can get a little bit complicated from that perspective. Okay. Well we talk about the producer side of it. There’s one more of these things. The other pieces is sometimes the flashing lights of slow-moving vehicle on the combine or a green card or a tillage equipment is there and they’re going to make a turn and we need to be cautious and remember to distinguish between are those just flashing lights or is the turn signal on. Yeah. And sometimes those those lights are higher up. Yeah. And if you don’t click in your mind that they are not just flashing lights it is a turn signal then and the vehicle has slowed down to turn and it’s turning across the very traffic lane that you think you’re going to take and pass this vehicle. We can run into another issue right there is the vehicle starts to turn and you decide to pass them and that can create and has created and has yes and has created that issue. And even if they are turning right and you are right behind them since the equipment is so big they will move over into the other lane and then come back right to make that turn on to the farm road. And sometimes it may feel like well they’re just turning left and I can accelerate. So those things can be a challenge and we need everybody to just be patient. Let that equipment do what it needs to do. And one once it is clear and safe and you are not in the no passing zone and stuff like that. Watch your traffic rules. Watch watch for things and just be patient. Yeah. Especially rural roads. If you get on gravel roads again usually a little narrow sometimes don’t have as good as shoulders and things like that paved roads. We might have a little shoulder space to work with. Yes. We are not like Missouri where they have no shoulder but we do have some shoulder space on paved roads. Yes. Well the again the the safety part of it is and producers they have their slow moving vehicle. They do have those flashing lights. And again this is one of the regular things. You know people aren’t pretty caught. They get report. But the big thing is people become impatient. I need to get here faster. Yeah. So so yes it’s just a reminder for those and it’s also a reminder for the drivers of these farm equipment. It’s a shared road and you need to make sure that all your flashing lights dust is off of them. So it’s not like people can’t see when it’s blinking blow off the dust off of the emblem. And the tricky points are when you’re moving from one field to another you have been in a field and there’s been a lot of dust and that dust will settle up on all these safety pieces. And I’ve told many folks it’s it’s a very cheap investment to actually have a cordless blower. Yeah. And you can just use that to blow off your turn lights your flashing lights your slow moving emblems. But you can also blow off all the trash and dust that may be on the bearings and other places where heat can accumulate and I’ve seen fires happen from other places. So that blower actually is a very good safety feature that you can invest a few dollars in and be safe. That’s good to say. It might be seem wet but things can still get there. They can still start on fire. So that’s just a whole nother safety thing to remember here this time of the year. I was going to ask because you mentioned you know like the lot of a lot of the producers will either have a truck out the field or they use the big hover cars. And again those are those are really good sized. So again once they’re loaded they don’t go fast. No they don’t go fast. They are slow. And I tell folks if you are running your operations in the field and moving things around watch for peak times of traffic like you know people are coming in and out of let’s just say boon here and folks are getting off work and they’re moving back to homes in the rural countryside. So you’re going to see increased traffic at that time or early in the morning when people are coming into work and going places. So can you can you schedule your movements around that. So that way you get done in the field like mid-morning and then you go to the next field and you’re there till the next day. So I know it’s not always possible but if we can schedule some of those things around traffic peak hours that can help. So it’s again people trying to get to places and then just working with that time element that things are moving slow. We need other people to also move slow. So kind of match that somewhat. Producers a lot will probably be pretty anxious to get out there and start to take take product out of the field you know get what they can as soon as things start to dry up enough for them. Are we looking at again I’m thinking most of them pace themselves pretty well. Yes again you can get a lot of crop out in a short amount of time if conditions are good. We know that and just like it goes in in the spring it can go in in a hurry when when conditions are good. If things do improve for them and stuff like that some of the work kind of late. Yes they work late late hours so you can expect to see farm equipment farm trucks grain carts moving past even 9 p.m. 10 p.m. as they’re getting done bringing the grain to the grain center and then staging everything on to the next field to get started on the next field. So this wet weather will crunch people on time and if this continues many further our harvest window will narrow significantly because then on the other side we are pushing up against winter showing up. So people will have shorter time period to get all the work done which is going to put in long hours and it is going to put traffic out on the roads at times that others may have previously not seen. So at least on the farm safety side of it I say take a break on occasion if you need it. You don’t need to stress yourself for the farm operator your health is important you need to be able to continue to work take breaks stay hydrated keep your cell phone with you fully charged so that if anything happens you have a means to call somebody. I’ve seen folks forget their cell phone at home and then they don’t have it with them. I have done that myself. I do it all I do it quite frequently. So safety is just awareness sometimes work gets on our nerves. This wet weather is already starting to show its effects and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that things start to dry out and when we have a safe harvest season this fall for everybody. One of the issues that you mentioned because a lot of moving moving grain out of bins things like that again and that to me always comes up with a confined space issue and stuff like that. So yeah so if you are in the safety part for cleaning out grain bins you need to make sure you are well ventilated and if you are climbing up on the sides of the walls you must be tethered and you must have safety harnesses on you as you are fixing any of the augers and any of the spaces higher up on the grain bins. It’s usually one of those little lapses isn’t it. All I’m going to do is jump down here and do this and then I’ll just get right back out. Yeah that’s those pieces are there and if you are working in a full bin and you are at the top of that grain then the grain safety by itself you are you are in a material that can flow underneath you very rapidly and it can create other grain entrapment issues. So there’s that safety issue as well if you’re working in a bin that’s full and we definitely ask people if you’re doing things there do a buddy system you’re not there by yourself and you are wearing a harness and you are tethered in that way you’re just staying on the surface if anything happens that tether holds you up and does not let the grain suck you in. Again we talked about the equipment on the roadways and stuff like that again for traveling public again this is just one of those where really the big thing is have some patience realize this is going on and there are again opportunities that you will be able to get around and you can drive safely but always be on the lookout always be on the lookout and it’s not just a couple weeks thing it is going to continue for several weeks because we are starting out with equipment moving grain out of bins taking them to the elevators or just moving into other places and right behind it our soybean harvest is gonna start with combines in the field and equipment out on the road and right after soybeans we’ve got the corn harvest and then we get into fall tillage and we get then we get into fall fertilizer application and in many cases you’ll even see manure application happening this fall so this thing will push all the way through to Thanksgiving and or maybe later or maybe later if the weather does not cooperate with us and it doesn’t dry out here by the early part of October so we can we can start harvesting things it is one of those times of the year and again this is all about farm safety and health week and so there are a lot of other health related things I know that always come up with this but one of the big ones obvious ones for us is that traffic on the road yes there are there are many other safety and health concerns we also talk about farmers wearing sunscreen just to make sure that they are out there in the sun wearing clothing and long caps so your exposed skin is minimal that health issue is a real concern especially with farm workers and farm operators because they are out in the open without any trees around them and they are the ones who definitely if you are working out there you need to seek shade you need to put on sunscreen there’s a minimal rating on that sunscreen you must have so that you are protected because it’s long hours that that you are out there and you may have to go back and reapply that sunscreen because as you sweat and and your clothing rubs up against things you may lose that sunscreen so health wise that’s another issue that is very realistic for our farm operators farm owners everybody and anybody who’s out on the farm and even folks who are in town and in city if you are out doing gardening and you are out there long hours or landscape folks who are working out on the property out in the sun you need to have that awareness that you can run into skin cancer issues under exposure long term it’s just it might be one of those words you don’t think about it in the ball yeah this but throughout the rest of the year you should yes it isn’t ongoing it is an ongoing farming is still one of the most dangerous occupations it just I mean the different things the equipment you’re working with the size of the equipment if you have livestock that’s a whole another thing so there’s a lot of variables that that is very very true it is I would say every every job has its own hazards it does it does and getting stepped on by cattle is one that are getting pinned up against my full-size hog yeah we know that too when they get into some of the you mentioned like on the confined spaces that what about on livestock production and stuff like that of course who do you’ve done a lot with the ventilation and structures for confinement buildings and things like that most are pretty well prepared to make sure those are ventilated and things like that so yes as as we get into this fall harvest one one of the other issues with manure application specifically is as you go and start doing agitation of that manure to get it pumped out of the storage structures and get it hauled out and land applied you just got to make sure the gases that may get produced out of that agitation are not creating any issues for you or also for the livestock that’s in the building so both ways the health is a question and we request everybody to have good ventilation happening maybe even put curtains down to let air come through and when you’re agitating make sure you’re not rooster tailing you’re not blowing that agitation up against walls and if you are too full up to the slats in the swine buildings especially don’t do any agitation actually you draw down that liquid level down so that you actually have some clear space for the ventilation fans to be able to do their job otherwise if it is all full to the top your ventilation system will just not really work and it can lead up to high hydrogen sulfide or high methane gas concentrations which can prove to be fatal even in cases safety safety safety and again everything from fires to you just need to be alert because at every turn when we are working and we are working with large size equipment large size livestock things the rate the proportions are big that we cannot ignore safety I would say University Extension outreach does have a lot of safety related information available I know that they’ve been doing some webinars with other other universities as well just reminder things for a lot of people and stuff like that and again I know patience runs a little short which you’re anxious to get out in the field and get things done but try to try to stay calm yes it’s that is the biggest answer is if anything happens it is going to delay you significantly now DOT has show has to show the county sheriff or somebody else has to show up do an accident report then you have to work with the insurance company and you have to do this you have to do that all lost time that could just be avoided if you’re patient and I preach in that sometimes my wife tells me I’m too dang slow and I tell her repeatedly it’s better to be safe than to be sorry later on and if things can be managed by just spending a little bit more time this this fall may test our nerves because it’s staying wet and we just need to make sure that those nerves don’t get better off us and just stay patient remain calm capilla rar has been our guest on our program today we’re talking about farm safety and health week it is all week it should be even a little bit longer than just one week to draw attention to it but it is an important thing and people be safe on the roads that’s a big thing it’s we got basically a lot of equipment that’s going to be moving around or has already started moving around and again just have some patience out there give it time to move yes share the responsibility share the safety you better be safe either way if you’re driving a farm piece of farm equipment or if you’re just driving your vehicle like your car or SUV or truck going between even running out from places to your grocery store in town and then coming back out on the farm so things things need to be shared everybody needs to be alert and and be safe thanks for joining us thanks for having me on today Jay