Planting Seeds of Caution Reaps Safer Harvest

The rush to harvest can yield tragic results. Each year, dozens of farm workers are killed and hundreds injured in accidents involving power lines and electric equipment. Oconto Electric Cooperative urges farmers to be proactive in identifying potential safety hazards so that accidents can be prevented.
“Things people see everyday can fade from view and in the busy-ness of harvest time, it’s easy for farm workers to forget about the power lines overhead.” says Jan Stranz, Vice President of Member Services. “Failure to notice power lines can be a deadly oversight.”
Farm workers should remember to look up and around them while working with tall equipment and extensions like augers. Everyone on the farm needs to be aware of the location of power lines and to keep equipment at least 10 feet away from them.”
 Safe Electricity recommends farmers take these steps for a safe harvest season:

• Review with all workers the farm activities and work practices that take place around power lines.
• Know the location of power lines and keep farm equipment at least 10 feet away from them – above, below and to the side – a 360 degree rule.
• Use care when raising augers or the bed of a grain truck. It can be difficult to estimate distance and sometimes a power line is closer than it looks. When moving large equipment or high loads near a power line, always use a spotter, or someone to help make certain that contact is not made with a line.
• Always lower portable augers or elevators to their lowest possible level - under 14 feet - before moving or transporting them. Variables like wind, uneven ground, shifting weight or other conditions can combine to create an unexpected result.
• Be aware of increased height when loading and transporting larger modern tractors with higher antennas.
• Never attempt to raise or move a power line to clear a path!
• Don’t use metal poles when breaking up bridged grain inside and around bins.
• As in any outdoor work, be careful not to raise any equipment such as ladders, poles or rods into power lines. Remember, non-metallic materials such as lumber, tree limbs, tires, ropes, and hay will conduct electricity depending on dampness and dust and dirt contamination.
• Use qualified electricians for work on drying equipment and other farm electrical systems.

“It’s also important for farm equipment operators to know what to do if the vehicle comes in contact with a power line,” Stranz says. “Staying inside the vehicle unless there’s fire or imminent risk of fire, is generally the best course of action. If the power line is energized and you step outside, your body becomes the path and electrocution is the result. Warn others who may be nearby to stay away and wait until the electric utility arrives to make sure power to the line is cut off.”
            If there is a threat of fire or other risk, the proper action is to jump – not step – with both feet hitting the ground at the same time. Do not allow any part of your body to touch the equipment and the ground at the same time. Continue to hop or shuffle to safety, keeping both feet together as you leave the area.
            Once safely away from the equipment, never attempt to get back on or even touch the equipment. Many electrocutions occur when the operator dismounts and, realizing nothing has happened, tries to get back on the equipment.
            For more information on farm and home electrical safety, visit www.SafeElectricity.org.  Spanish versions of farm electrical safety information also are available on this Web site.