As farmers busily work on the farm this time of year, National Farmers Union (NFU) hopes to raise awareness about farm safety issues and best practices through a series of 10 educational videos.
The videos, available at www.NFU.org/farmsafety, educate farm and ranch families, agriculture workers, consumers who visit a farm, and members of the public about hazards and proper safety procedures to avoid farm-related accidents or casualties.
“Understanding the dangers on and around the farm and how to avoid them can make a life-saving difference when operating heavy machinery or working around livestock,” said NFU President Roger Johnson. “Through this program, NFU hopes to build mass awareness and contribute to reducing the number of annual farm-related accidents.”
“Safety on the farm is so important” relates Donn Teske, president of the Kansas Farmers Union. “Farming continues to be one of the most dangerous occupations in America and anything we can do to raise awareness, and make one consider the consequences of an action, is worth the effort. These are excellent examples of mistakes that happen too often and how they might be avoided”.
“Well worth taking a little time to watch and share with others” he said.
Nearly 500 farm work-related deaths occur annually, according to a 2013 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics study, and machinery accidents account for approximately a quarter of them. Four of the NFU videos focus on topics related to farm equipment.
Other video topics include safety measures for livestock handling, grain hauling and storage, chemical use and keeping kids safe on the farm. An unfortunate number of farm accidents involve children under the age of 20 – four-in-five of which are not labor related, Johnson explained.
“It is important for everyone to stay aware and be safe,” he said. “Especially in rural communities where cars share the roads with farm machinery and families and friends visit local farms.”
NFU’s farm safety videos were made possible by the generous support of CHS Foundation, National Farmers Union Foundation, National Farmers Union Insurance, Hastings Mutual Insurance, Midwest Agency, North Dakota Farmers Union Insurance and Montana Farmers Union.
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Photo: “Sixteen-year-old Kristi Ruth tells her PTO injury story in the Power Take Off video, one of ten farm safety videos recently released by the National Farmers Union.” Available here.
Photo: “Ten farm safety videos and a toolkit were recently released by the National Farmers Union.” Available here.
Kansas Farmers Union is the state’s oldest active general farm organization working to protect and enhance the economic interests and quality of life for family farmers and ranchers and rural communities. We believe family ownership of farm land is the basis for the world’s most viable system of food and fiber production, and that maintaining this family farm system will preserve our natural and human resources.
