By DOUG SCHMITZ

Iowa Correspondent

IOWA CITY, Iowa — With the rush to get seed into the ground this spring to avoid inclement weather, planting season poses just as big of a safety concern for farmers as getting the crops out of the fields at harvest time does, according to farm safety experts.

“One of the challenges in both spring and fall is that there is a large volume of work alongside numerous time constraints – getting crops in before a weather shift, or in time to ensure good germination, et cetera,” said Brandi Janssen, director of Iowa’s Center for Agricultural Safety and Health (I-CASH) at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.

“What that means is that people tend to work intensively and often for long hours. They also may be working alone – especially during spring planting, where you don’t need a second truck or combine driver to haul grain out.”

In addition, Janssen said, “Concerns include fatigue that can contribute to having an incident; sudden increase in physical activity after a long break that could contribute to an injury; and working alone in isolated areas. If something happens, family members may not be immediately aware of it and unable to help quickly.”

Dan Neenan, paramedic and director of the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety’s Safety, Transportation and Emergency Medical Services at Northeast Iowa Community College’s Peosta campus, said farmers need to take the time over the winter to do maintenance on their equipment so it’s ready to go when planting time arrives.

“Many injuries happen because of poor or no maintenance and a breakdown that occurs at an inopportune time, which causes an emergency repair and possibly not putting the safety guards back on because of being in a hurry,” he said. “Wet field conditions can cause machinery to get stuck and cause injuries or fatalities while trying to get them loose.”

According to the Marshfield Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety in Marshfield, Wis., a child is killed every three days on a farm and 33 children are injured daily.

Janssen said spring is also when everyone wants to get back outside – kids and adults alike. “Farm yard areas where equipment is being moved around, possibly for the first time in a few months, coupled with excited kids, can be a dangerous situation.

“Ensuring that there are ‘safe play’ areas on farms in the spring, and year around, is very important,” she added. “As all parents know, small children can quickly slip out of sight. Be sure there are areas on the farm that keep kids busy and safely away from moving farm equipment.”

Neenan said such equipment is extremely large and unforgiving when it comes to youngsters. “Children are curious and want to help,” he said. “Remember: one seat, one rider, and only have a child with you in the cab if you have an instructional seat and seat belt for them.”

Moreover, he said the general public especially needs to be aware of farmers moving equipment on the road, as well as in and out of their fields.

“Farm machinery will be sharing the road during the spring planting season, so be sure to leave a little extra time during your travels so you don’t try to pass a farm vehicle when it is dangerous,” he said. “Remember: You can’t pass a piece of farm equipment in a no-passing zone.

“Farm equipment make left turns into farmsteads, so make sure when you are passing farm equipment, to be on the lookout for a left-turning vehicle. (And) farmers should always look behind them before making the left turn to make sure someone is not trying to pass.”

Janssen agreed, adding, “Much of the burden to reduce roadway incidents lies with auto drivers slowing down, being patient when passing equipment and being attentive to the possibility that a piece of equipment will turn into a farm lane or field.

“We know that vehicle drivers, not farm equipment drivers, are responsible for most roadway crashes involving farm equipment. We also know that the person in the vehicle is much more likely to be injured in the event of a crash.

“Farmers can help by being as visible as possible,” she said, with “clean ‘slow-moving vehicle’ emblems, flashing amber lights and clearly signaling when they are about to turn.”

Bill Field, Purdue University extension agricultural safety and health specialist and professor of agricultural and biological engineering, said modern farm vehicles have more safety equipment than previous models, including better lighting, but the individual vehicles are much larger and pose greater danger in a collision.

For example, tractors, planters, sprayers and other farm equipment can be 2-3 times the height of passenger vehicles, weigh up to 40,000 pounds and take up more than a lane of traffic, he said.

“What appears to be happening is that we are seeing more severe injuries to motorists who run into vehicles much larger than their own,” he said. “For many drivers, speed is of the essence – and that is not a good match for these slower-moving farm vehicles.”

Field said farm vehicles typically travel at 20-25 mph, about half the speed of passenger vehicles on state and county highways. Slamming on the brakes to avoid a slow-moving farm vehicle could cause a chain-reaction collision.

Although there are fewer farm vehicles on the road than in previous years, he said farmers are now traveling greater distances between fields, meaning their vehicles are on the road for longer periods. “Farmers need to take a look at where their fields are located and maybe think about better ways to transport their equipment, including the use of trailers and escort vehicles.”

Janssen said I-CASH regularly distributes farm safety information through the Iowa State University extension offices and county Farm Service Agency offices. “This spring, we will be focusing on spring training, encouraging farmers to stay up to date with their preventative health care so that they’re ready to take on the additional physical work that comes with spring,” she said.

“Everybody knows that equipment maintenance can prevent breakdowns. We want people to think about maintaining their health, as well, to prevent a physical breakdown.”

Learn more online from the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety at www.necasag.org and from I-CASH at www.public-health.uiowa.edu/icash

The Marshfield Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety has information online as well, at www.marshfieldresearch.org/nccrahs