Agricultural hazards can be deadly if proper precautions aren’t taken. Educating yourself about the dangers is the first step in prevention. There are many hazards associated with agriculture, but some of the most common ones are slips and trips, chemical exposure, machinery accidents, and animal attacks.
Wearing PPE
To prevent agricultural hazards from occurring on your property, you should take precautions such as using personal protective equipment (PPE) when necessary, not ignoring warning signs and barriers, and being aware of your surroundings at all times. PPE includes items like safety goggles, gloves, boots, and coveralls. It’s important to wear PPE when working with hazardous materials or machinery, and when around animals.
Ensure Safe Work Practices
Make sure that all work practices comply with health and safety regulations, and that everyone who may be exposed to hazards is informed of the risks. . Have a proper training programme in place to ensure the employees are aware of health and safety practices, as well as any other procedures that need undertaking.
When accidents do happen, it’s important to have a plan in place so that you can deal with them as effectively as possible. This should include procedures for dealing with fires, chemical spills, injuries, and other emergencies. Review your plan regularly to make sure it remains up-to-date.
Have Risk And Hazard Assessment
Identify controls that will help to reduce the likelihood and impact of these hazards. Carry out a hazard assessment that identifies all potential agricultural hazards on your farm or business, at each stage in the production process. This can help you to put in place specific controls to prevent or reduce the risk of these hazards occurring. Review your safety management system with the help of a professional who can provide expert advice for health and safety in agriculture business.
Maintain Proper Drainage System
If water pools up around plantings of corn or wheat during periods of heavy rainfall due to inadequate drainage systems, then harmful pathogens may develop within these bodies of standing water. This will lead to crop losses and spoilage if rodents sneak into your storehouse.
Clean Farm Tools And Equipment Regularly
Unclean tools can spread diseases to plants and increase the likelihood of infection. Regularly cleaning implements such as ploughs, harrows, cultivators, tractors, and trucks will help keep your crops healthy.
Use Crop Rotation Wisely
Changing the types of plants you grow in a field from year to year disrupts the life cycle of pests and diseases that might be harmful to them. It is also important to avoid planting members of the same family in the same spot too often as this will cause many problems with soil fertility and susceptibility to disease. Consult with an agricultural specialist for more information on proper crop rotation schemes for your area.
Control Weeds
Weeds compete with crops for water, nutrients, and sunlight. If a field is overgrown with weeds then the plants that you do want to grow will be stunted or may not produce at all. You should also avoid trying to eradicate existing weeds by burning them because this poses significant hazards in agricultural settings.
Use Chemicals Only When Necessary
Be sure that any fertilisers or pesticides are properly labelled for your location (as well as being approved). This helps ensure they are administered in the correct amounts and will not damage crops or contaminate groundwater.
Safeguard areas where you’re working from potential hazards such as construction work nearby, livestock, other vehicles and more! Be aware that many agricultural businesses are located near residential areas so there may be lots going on outside your fence line. If you have questions about how to protect yourself from falling objects while operating this machine at certain heights, reach out to one of our safety specialists today!
