Howard
J. Doss and Cornita
Tilma
Michigan State University Extension
Hazards
to farm machine operators that can't be designed around must
be shielded to protect the operator from injury or death.
Guards and decals which identify the danger must be kept in
place whenever the machine is operated. Guards or shields
removed for maintenance must be properly replaced before use.
Numerous
farmers, children, and farm workers have been permanently
maimed or killed because guards were not installed or were
improperly used. Repair or replace damaged guards and shields.
Moving
parts present the greatest hazard because of the swiftness
of their action and unforgiving and relentless motion. Common
machine hazards occurring around moving parts include:
Where two parts move together and at least one of them moves
in a circle; also called mesh points, run-on points, and entry
points (see Figure).
Examples:
Belt drives, chain drives, gear drives, and feed rolls.
When
shields cannot be provided, operators must avoid contact with
hands or clothing in pinch point areas. Never attempt to service
or unclog a machine while it is operating or the engine is
running.
Any exposed component that rotates (see Figure).
Examples:
Rotating shafts such as a PTO shaft or shafts that protrude
beyond bearings or sprockets.
Watch
components on rotating shafts, such as couplers, universal
joints, keys, keyways, pins, or other fastening devices. Splined,
square, and hexagon-shaped shafts are usually more dangerous
than round shafts because the edges tend to grab fingers or
clothing more easily than a round shaft, but round shafts
may not be smooth and can also grab quickly. Once a finger,
thread, article of clothing, or hair is caught it begins to
wrap; pulling only causes the wrap to become tighter.
Where the edges of two moving parts move across one another
or where a single sharp part moves with enough speed or force
to cut soft material (see Figure).
Examples:Sickle
bar mowers, rotary shredders and cutters, cutter heads of
forage harvesters, augers in tubes, chain and paddle conveyors,
certain points in an implement frame during raising or lowering,
hedge-trimming shears, and rotary mower blade.
Remember
that crop cutting devices cannot be totally guarded to keep
hands and feet out and still perform their intended function.
Recognize the potential hazards of cutting and shear points
on implements and equipment that are not designed to cut or
shear. Guarding may not be feasible for these hazards.
Points between two objects moving toward each other or one
object moving toward a stationary object (see Figure).
Examples:Four-wheel
drive tractor with articulating steering which pivots in the
middle, working under a raised heavy object like a combine
head, hitches, telescoping shafts, hoods, and doors.
Guard
yourself! Never stand between two objects moving toward one
another. Make certain the driver knows where the helper is
at all times when hitching a tractor to an implement. Do not
move between the two objects to complete the hitching until
the backing vehicle is completely stopped and the brake is
set. Never stand between the tires of an articulating four-wheel
drive tractor. Use adequate blocking or lock-out devices when
working under equipment.
Points where objects are pulled into equipment, usually for
some type of processing (see Figure).
Examples:Feed
rolls, grinders, and forage harvesters.
Machines
are faster and stronger than people. Never attempt to hand-feed
materials into moving feed rollers. Always stop the equipment
before attempting to remove an item that has plugged a roller
or that has become wrapped around a rotating shaft. Remember
that guards cannot be provided for all situations--equipment
must be able to function in the capacity for which it is designed.
Freewheeling
parts, rotating or moving parts that continue to move after
the power is shut off are particularly dangerous because time
delays are necessary before service can begin.
More
examples are: cutter heads of forage harvesters, hammermills
of feed grinders, rotary mower blades, fans and blades on
ensilage blowers, flywheels on balers.
Allow
sufficient time for freewheeling parts to stop moving. Stay
alert! Listen and Watch for Motion!
Any object that can become airborne because of moving parts
(see Figure).
Examples:Rocks,
stones, sticks, and pieces of chopped or cut crops.
Keep
shields in place to reduce the potential for thrown objects.
Wear protective gear such as goggles to reduce the risk of
personal injury if you cannot prevent particles from being
thrown.
Michigan
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) standards
require the following for all farm equipment operated by employees:
Tractors
must have a master shield over the PTO drive. Connected equipment
must have a tube or tunnel guard over the PTO shaft. Safety
decals must be on equipment and must be clearly visible.
All
guards, shields or access doors must be in place when equipment
is operating.
A warning
decal must be placed on an access door when removal of the
door would expose the operator to a component that rotates
after power is shut off ("freewheeling").
Electrically
powered equipment must have a lock-out control on the switch
or an electrical switch, mechanical clutch or other positive
shut-off device mounted directly on the equipment (such as
a silo unloaders, bottom unloading grain bin, or other remote
equipment).
Circuit
interruption devices on an electric motor, such as circuit
breakers or overload protection, must require manual reset
to restart the motor. Exceptions include bulk milk coolers,
water pumps, or other operations where manual resets would
be unduly burdensome. Employees must receive instruction on
safe operation and servicing of all field machinery or farmstead
equipment with which they are involved. Give instruction at
the time of the first assignment to work on each machine and
at least once a year thereafter.
These
guidelines should be applied to equipment operated by family
members also.
Disclaimer
and Reproduction Information: Information in NASD does not
represent NIOSH policy. Information included in NASD appears
by permission of the author and/or copyright holder. More
NASD Review: 04/2002
This
information is for educational purposes only. Reference to
commercial products or trade names does not imply endorsement
by the Cooperative Extension Service or bias against those
not mentioned. Cooperative Extension Service programs are
open to all without regard to race, color, national origin,
sex or handicap. MSU is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity
Institution.
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