Know your blind spots
Up to 50% of fatalities in agriculture involve a farm vehicle or machinery. Serena Gibbons, Education Officer, Teagasc Athenry talks about blind spots around tractors and has top tips to staying safe and making our farms safer when it comes to working with tractors
Regardless of the enterprise or scale of the farm there is a tractor on almost every Irish farm. A common cause of fatalities is where a farmer gets down from a tractor to open the gate and while opening the gate the tractor rolls causing a serious or fatal crush.
Be mindful of the blind spots around your tractor
Don't take chances - make tractor safety a priority!
How can we make our farm safer when it comes to tractors?
- Quick safety check - Check for oil leaks, tyre pressure, check safety covers and any obvious physical defects
- Handbrakes need to be checked regularly
- Always ensure windows are clean and mirrors are correctly adjusted
- Headlights, tail-lights and flashing amber beacons should be operational
- Travel at an appropriate speed
- Never use a mobile phone while driving
- Passengers can only travel in a tractor cab where an appropriate seat and seatbelt are provided
- No children under 7 years in a tractor
- Always enter and dismount the tractor correctly ensuring you always have 3 points of contact to avoid injury.
- Modern tractors are large and visibility can be poor so be mindful of the blind spots around your tractor
In this short clip, Serena Gibbons talks through more top tips for staying safe when working with tractors
For further information check out the Farm Safety Week Section on the Teagasc Website.
All this week on Teagasc Daily we will be following the themes of Farm Safety Week on a Daily basis so be sure to check in with Teagasc Daily each day for more
#FarmSafetyWeek