Farm safety: tillage farmer for a day

If familiarity breeds contempt, then unfamiliarity breeds danger. Livestock farmers rarely get to work the land so when they do it’s a novelty. It’s a particular novelty for farm children and this brings danger. Whether the reseeding work is done in-house, using a farmer’s own equipment or carried out by a contractor, there are dangers present.

Equipment should be well maintained and all safety covers should be in place, particularly drive shafts on rotary equipment such as rotavators and power harrows and other equipment such as sprayers. Where these machines are not being regularly used, there are extra risks because they may not be maintained as well as, say, a tillage farmer or contractor would maintain them.

By law, children under the age of seven are not allowed to ride in a tractor cab, whether they are strapped in or not

The other thing is the operator may not be as familiar with their operation so therefore there is a risk of operator error causing accidents.

Hiring a contractor to carry out the reseeding work brings risks also. Children should be kept well away from tractors and their implements. Children are curious by nature and would like for nothing else but to get close to or ride on machinery when it is working in the fields.

By law, children under the age of seven are not allowed to ride in a tractor cab, whether they are strapped in or not.

Children between seven and 16 may only be in the tractor cab if a risk assessment has been completed and if they are strapped into seats.

1 Spraying

Spraying is usually the first and last step when it comes to the reseeding procedure.

The existing sward is sprayed off with glyphosate and then the new sward is sprayed for weed control. Handling herbicides and pesticides is dangerous.

The correct personal protective equipment should be worn to avoid contact with skin or the inhalation of chemicals.

Professional users will often wear a disposable splash-proof suit

The important ones are nitrile gloves, plastic face mask to prevent splashes to the face, and a respirator mask to prevent inhaling toxic chemicals.

Professional users will often wear a disposable splash-proof suit also, to prevent splashes going through clothes and on to skin.

The point is, if you are not a professional user, it is illegal to apply chemical sprays. If you are a professional user, take the necessary precautions to avoid risk of contact with chemicals and spray mist.

2 Cultivation

Cultivation is a key component of reseeding.

Rotary equipment such as power harrows and rotavators are dangerous when in use.

Fixed equipment such as ploughs and land levellers are less dangerous.

Never work underneath a machine (to change tines) that is not fully propped up.

Never rely on the three-point linkage to keep the machine up.

Picking stones is a job often associated with reseeding. While usually recognised for the tedium of the job, it can also be dangerous.

Mind your back when lifting heavy objects such as stones. A stone rake on a front loader of a tractor will do away with a lot of the heavy lifting.

Where this is not available, use transport boxes to collect stones. These can be lowered to the ground and the stone can be rolled in, meaning it doesn’t have to be lifted directly.

High-sided trailers for manual gathering of stones should be avoided, as they require stones to be lifted and thrown over the sides.

When lifting, bend your knees and keep your back straight – don’t bend your back as this puts huge pressure on the discs in your back. When you know a field is going to be stony, other cultivation methods should be considered such as min-till or discing.