By Christopher Miller
MACKEYVILLE – Geisinger Trauma held an Agricultural Safety Day last Saturday morning at the Clinton County Fairgrounds.
The event, now in its second year, is geared towards helping people young and old stay safe while on and around the farm.
“You wouldn’t think it, but a farm is actually a very unsafe place to be playing around especially if you have young children around who live and are growing up while also being on the farm,” said Deborah, an RN with Geisinger.
Interactive displays at the event included a model diorama of a farm sectioned out into different stations with certain safety hazards happening at each section. The display was made to help people pinpoint what is wrong in each station such as low power lines and a tall combine tractor, the gate left open on a manure retention pond, a door left open on a tractor, and an unattended ladder propped up on a house.
Volunteer firefighters were also on hand giving demonstrations of grain bin rescues. As reported last summer by The Record, a grain bin rescue consists of a collapsible metal tube being placed around the victim to keep the weight of grain or corn from crushing the individual to death. The metal tube is placed around the person to stop the grain movement and to better add leverage to pull the person out of the grain bin, or silo.
The New Love Center was available for people to talk to and tour their mobile food distribution trailer. The Model Food Pantry, as they call it, drives from place to place on certain days delivering much needed nutrition to people who need a little help in getting access to it.
The mobile pantry will be in Renovo at the Renovo Fire Department on April 25, May 30, June 27, and July 25 from 11 AM to 3 PM. “For more information call 570-244-8838 and please bring a valid ID for receiving food,” a flyer said.
The mobile pantry will also be in Lock Haven at the Geisinger Medical Clinic along Spring Street on May 15, June 12, and July 10 from 12 PM to 2 PM.
PennState Extension was available to talk about staying “tick healthy” as we begin to enter into tick season in the commonwealth.
“Ticks do not die easily, but do not go about trying to burn them off if part of it is sticking out of your skin,” a representative of the Extension office said. “Rather, take one of these metal devices that hooks around the tick for safe, easy removal from the skin, but also it wouldn’t hurt to see a doctor to be tested for Lyme disease.”
PennState also had a PTO (power take-off) simulator available for people to test their reaction time. By putting your wrist into a wristlet sleeve attached to a magnet in the machine, when the machine runs it randomly chooses a time where the wristlet is lightly tugged. At this time, the person in the simulator is asked to quickly jerk their arm away from the machine as if about to be pulled into it.
My reaction time was 0.352 seconds which would have been equivalent to my arm being pulled about 24″ into the machine, or also known as a possible amputation. My wife did not fare too well with the simulation either.
The Agriculture Safety Day was extremely insightful and interactive for people of all ages.
In addition to Geisinger, Penn State Extension, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Nittany Valley Volunteer Fire Department, The New Love Center, Goodwill Hose Company and EMS and PA Trails Foundation were all in attendance.
Below are some common farm hazards and tips to avoid injuries, from the Geisinger publication Health, their quarterly full-color magazine.
Common farm hazards
Tips to avoid injuries
Farm machinery:
- Install rollover protection on tractors.
- Provide user safety training.
- Inspect equipment frequently.
Power take-offs:
- Leave shields on during use.
- Disengage before working on machinery.
- Keep loose clothing, cords and hair clear.
ATV accidents:
- Never carry a passenger.
- Wear a helmet.
- Avoid paved surfaces.
Grain bins:
- Turn machinery off before entering.
- Use a lifeline system and harness.
- Keep clear of operating augers.
Hay holes:
- Install a hay hole cover made from netting.
Livestock:
- Use gentle guidance to herd or move animals.
- Be aware of the subtle signs of distress.
- Plan an escape route.
Chemical exposure:
- Store chemicals in their original containers, out of children’s reach.
- Train workers in proper handling.
- Wear gloves, eye protection or respirators as needed.
- Wash up after handling chemicals.
Children on the farm
Kids will be kids. They run, hide, explore and play, whether in a suburban backyard or in a barn. And children who grow up on farms often start helping out at an early age.
That’s why educating them about farm equipment and other hazards — and properly supervising them — are key to keeping them safe. The National Children’s Center for Rural and Ag Health and Safety recommends these top five safety strategies:
- Keep kids away from tractors.
- Don’t let children into work areas unsupervised.
- Make sure work is age-appropriate.
- Eliminate hazards from kids’ work areas.
- Have children wear personal protective equipment.
- Train kids for tasks and be sure they can do them correctly.
Geisinger is among the nation’s leading providers of value-based care, serving 1.2 million people in urban and rural communities across Pennsylvania. Founded in 1915 by philanthropist Abigail Geisinger, the non-profit system generates $10 billion in annual revenues across 134 care sites – including 10 hospital campuses, and Geisinger Health Plan, with 600,000 members in commercial and government plans. The Geisinger College of Health Sciences educates more than 5,000 medical professionals annually and conducts more than 1,400 clinical research studies. With 26,000 employees, including 1,600 employed physicians, Geisinger is among Pennsylvania’s largest employers with an estimated economic impact of $14 billion to the state’s economy. On March 31, 2024, Geisinger became the first member of Risant Health, a new nonprofit charitable organization created to expand and accelerate value-based care across the country. Learn more at geisinger.org or follow on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.
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