AngusLimoX":39xjsb2q said:
:welcome: RR - are you one of those folks that writes farm magazines asking they not show pictures of children riding or near farm equipment for "safety" reasons ? :wave:
No, But if you were to ask my husband, I am very much for farm safety. I give my father in law the dickens when he gets of the tractor (rear exit) and baler with the PTO engaged with loose pant legs
Hubby gets the dickens when grinding with out googles or glasses and ear protectors. Or rolling grain in a barn with out ear protectors and a mask...loud machine...not so much any more as there are googles and ear protecters at several work areas around the farm now. And he uses them faithfully.
I saw what a farm injury such as hydraulic oil in the eye does to a family. It was difficult and stressful.
I've seen battery acid in an eye. A few near misses with hands, father in law with "farmer's lung" from not wearing a mask when working with grain dust. An older lady in the area was mauld by a cow while checking her sons cattle during calving. She was killed and her son found her. I have been beaten by a cow, and thankfully there was two feet of snow to cushion me when she fell on me. I was lucky, hubby was scared and the dogs could not get her off me while i took a pounding by her. A friend nearly died by starting a tractor while standing on the ground by the rear wheel, not realizing the tractor was in gear. When he released the clutch he was holding on to with his hand he was ran over by the tractor. The tractor ran over his head, back hips and legs. It was no small tractor, middle of winter middle of nowhere feeding cattle. It took everything he had to crawl on to the snow machine and drive acrross the lake to home. He had no strength to get off the machine so had to call his to his wife in the dead of winter who was inside the house. His kids and wife found him nearly dead.
Another friend, well not a friend really, co worker, decided to get on the ladder and sweep of the grain bin so they could open the lid or something for some reason. He did not wait for his brother to hold the ladder, got on top of the bin, slipped on the light dusting of snow, fell and broke his ankle. Now that does not seem like much, and you might say he got off lucky with a broken ankle. However, it did not mend, and after a year of trying to get it to mend, it was amputated below the knee. Three years later, he was able to get back on a tractor and work on the farm
These accidents happened while doing everyday chores on the farm by people who knew what they were doing, expereinced farmers like you and I.
My point is, we only get one chance to do it right. One chance to not hurt ourselves, causing serious injury or death. As farmers/ranchers we work with alot of machinery and tools. Our chance of getting hurt is greatly increase over the average worker. We work long hours, work when exhausted it is so easy to make a mistake. We need to take care of ourselves or we could lose life or limb. It is as simple as that. And we never know how much an injury costs us or our family until it happens.
Sorry for the hijack
