Look Up and Look Out to Keep Your Harvest Season Safe

When the crops are ready to be harvested, farmers have only a window of time—between weather events, equipment breakdowns, and life events—to get the best quality crop out of the field. To make the most of this time, farm workers trying to get as much work done as possible. Safe Electricity offers safety tips for farm and ranch workers across the nation to help keep them safe during this time.

One of the biggest hazards for farmers is posed by power lines. To stay safe around overhead power lines, Safe Electricity urges farm operators and workers to:

• Use a spotter when operating large machinery near lines.
• Use care when raising augers or the bed of grain trucks around power lines.
• Keep equipment at least 10 feet from lines—at all times, in all directions.
• Inspect the height of the farm equipment to determine clearance.
• Always remember to lower extensions when moving loads.
• Never attempt to move a power line out of the way or raise it for clearance.
• If a power line is sagging or low, call the local utility immediately.

If contact is made with a power line, remember, it is almost always safest to stay on the equipment. Make sure to warn others to stay away, and call the local utility provider immediately. The only reason to exit is if the equipment is on fire. If this is the case, jump off the equipment with your feet together and without touching the ground and vehicle at the same time. Then, still keeping your feet together, “bunny hop” away.

Additional safety tips from Safe Electricity include:

• Do not use metal poles when breaking up bridged grain inside and around bins.
• Always hire qualified electricians for any electrical issues.
• Do not use equipment with frayed cables.
• Make sure outdoor outlets are equipped with a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI).

• When operating a portable generator, make sure nothing is plugged into it when turning it on, and never operate a generator in a confined area. Generators can produce toxic and deadly gasses like carbon monoxide.
• Always use caution when operating heavy machinery.

For more farm and electrical safety information, visit SafeElectricity.org.