How to stay safe during harvest

The rain will delay eastern Idaho’s potato harvest, but it’s a good time for farmers to stop and think just a bit more about keeping harvest safe.In August, we already saw a tragic accident in Bingham County that killed a man.

Shelley Potato farmer, Jared Wattenbarger of Wattenbarger Farms, said if farmers make a mistake handling certain equipment it can lead to death.

“My father was injured years ago in an accident involving a power take-off and ever since then our farm has tried to mitigate any of the safety concerns,” said Wattenbarger.

In 2012, 374 farmers and workers died from a work-related injury, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. University of Idaho Extension Educator, Wayne Jones, said a power take-off or PTO contributes to some of those deaths. PTO is a term used to describe the process of transmitting power from one point to another.

“I see PTO’s without a guard and I just cringe when I see that because the guards need to be in place,” Jones said.

Jones also recommends that farmers educate workers about the machinery, wear fitted clothing and make sure trucks aren’t overloaded.

“You almost want to be like a turtle slow and steady. You don’t want to be too fast and you want to make sure of your surroundings. You can also try to eliminate backing up the truck,” said Wattenbarger.

Motorists can help farm workers stay safe too. Jones said when motorists notice farm equipment on the road, they should slow down and give them room.

If you are working the harvest or will be near the equipment be cautious around the large equipment.