I have a reminder in my phone every year to evaluate my PPE and safety practices at home, and I try to do it when I add freeze protection. A couple of things I do:
I grew up on family farm. When I was 7, my younger brother was involved in a traumatic accident on the farm. He took a blow to his head on top of a combine from a ceiling fan. He had reconstructive surgery to his skull. 25 staples, 40 stitches, and he had to wear a bicycle helmet for a year. It was very nearly a fatality, but thankfully he recovered and has lived a normal life.
One thing that has become clearer to me about this incident was how common it is in family farms. Family farm fatalies are over double that of the construction industry. And if you know anything about the safety pyramid, higher fatalities are an indicator of a higher rate of injuries. Higher incident rates are indicators of unsafe behaviors. The statistics are really glaring at scale, but are typically not obvious to people in the moment.
The takeaway for me is to be diligent at home, just like I am at work. Three points of contact on a ladder. Check circuits for power before working. Lock-out Tag-out where I can. Be mindful of when I have kids around. Talk to kids about what I'm doing beforehand.
As corny as it probably sounds - I would encourage everyone in this community to do the same. Hope everyone is mindful of safety at home as we roll into the holiday season and enjoy time with family (and watch our Ags BTHO the sips!).
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
- Check Fire Extinguishers
- Check first aid kit to make sure it is still current
- Evaluate my PPE. Examples: - Do my respirator cartridges need to be replaced? - Are my gloves old and worn? - Are my ladders still in good shape (are the rubber feet still in good shape)?
- Check my smoke alarms and CO detectors
- Clean my dryer vent and other vents on my roof as my heaters start to run
- Are there any practices that I need to change? This one has been on my mind a lot as my kids continue to get older and are helping more
I grew up on family farm. When I was 7, my younger brother was involved in a traumatic accident on the farm. He took a blow to his head on top of a combine from a ceiling fan. He had reconstructive surgery to his skull. 25 staples, 40 stitches, and he had to wear a bicycle helmet for a year. It was very nearly a fatality, but thankfully he recovered and has lived a normal life.
One thing that has become clearer to me about this incident was how common it is in family farms. Family farm fatalies are over double that of the construction industry. And if you know anything about the safety pyramid, higher fatalities are an indicator of a higher rate of injuries. Higher incident rates are indicators of unsafe behaviors. The statistics are really glaring at scale, but are typically not obvious to people in the moment.
The takeaway for me is to be diligent at home, just like I am at work. Three points of contact on a ladder. Check circuits for power before working. Lock-out Tag-out where I can. Be mindful of when I have kids around. Talk to kids about what I'm doing beforehand.
As corny as it probably sounds - I would encourage everyone in this community to do the same. Hope everyone is mindful of safety at home as we roll into the holiday season and enjoy time with family (and watch our Ags BTHO the sips!).
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
