C U Safe
Can I Help
“What
we do?” is often limited by our resources (or lack there of). This lack of resources ranges from funding to
time. I asked “What can I do to help
you/your workers/your clientele be safe this year?” in the January
newsletter. I mentioned that I was
working on a way to be able to offer Farm Safety Mini-Grants. These mini-grants would be available for
various activities including: farm safety meetings, field days, safety day
camps, etc.
Do
you need to sponsor a meal for a cattlemen’s association meeting, do you need a
few slow moving vehicle emblems to promote highway safety at a row crop
meeting, or do you need to rent a facility for a safety day camp? If you answer yes
to any of these questions or yes to similar questions then these grants will be
of use for you.
I
hopefully will have more information on how to apply for these grants in the
next couple of weeks.
Another
way that I can help you answer this question is by providing time, ideas, and
materials.
Charles V. Privette, III
The
Eyes Have It
There
is a section on eye protection on the second page of this edition. One statement you will read says, “Contact
lens users should be especially cautious because the lenses may trap chemicals
and their vapors.”
Do not wear contacts if you are working around various
chemicals/vapors. I wore my contacts and
safety goggles this past fall while working in the lab taking water
samples. I would add acid to the samples
to preserve them. I thought I was OK since I had on my goggles.
My right eye began to grow red and sensitive after a few days in the
lab.
My eye got better after a week of wearing glasses. I decided to wear my contacts once again
after my eye was better. This time I was
not in the lab. My eye was worse than it
was the day I first noticed it being red, by that afternoon. The acid vapors that the contact had
originally absorbed were still present even though the contacts had been
cleaned and disinfected several times.
The contacts were discarded at this point.
Eye Protection
Eighty
percent of a person’s daily activities depend upon good vision. No one is immune to unexpected eye trauma on
the job, in the home or during recreation.
Over 1,000 work-related eye injuries occur every day in the
PREVENTION
OF EYE INJURY
Each
of us must take responsibility for eye safety. Attention to potential
accidents, work habits, appropriate tools, adequate lighting and protective
eyewear needs to be considered part of the task. A single task may result in exposure to
several different eye hazards. Choose
eye wear that protects for the greatest hazard.
Three
common hazards are:
CHEMICAL:
Wear goggles to protect against splashes and fumes. Contact lens users should
be especially cautious because the lenses may trap chemicals and their vapors.
IMPACT:
Always wear safety spectacles or goggles.
Flying particles from chain saws, grinders, chippers, sanders and many
other farm, industrial, home and garden tools can pose serious eye hazards.
DUST:
Wear goggles to protect the eyes from dust while working in dusty conditions.
Note:
A face shield should be worn in addition to goggles or spectacles for
severe exposures.
Glasses
that are made to protect your eyes have the American National Standard
Institute’s (ANSI) marking of Z 87.
The lenses are stronger and the frames will not allow the lenses to come
out on impact. You should choose safety
glasses that you like. You probably will
not wear eye protection if you do not like them or they do not fit properly.
For
more information on Eye Safety or Treating an Eye Injury contact:
The
Agromedicine Program at the Medical University of South Carolina: 843.792.2281
or their web page at: www.musc.edu/oem/ahome.html.
PTO Safety
The
power-take-off, or PTO, is a means of transferring power from a tractor to an
implement. The PTO can turn at either
540 revolutions per minute (RPM) or 1000 RPM.
The irregular shape and connection joints of a turning shaft can cause
serious injury. Due to this hazard,
shields and guards were developed to prevent injury from these rotating
shafts. The National Safety Council has
estimated that PTO’s accounted for 6 percent of tractor related fatalities for
1997.
Equipment Checks
Master
shield should always be in place.
Implement
guarding needs to shield PTO shaft when the master shield has to be removed for
implement hookup.
Always
inspect shields and guards before using.
Replace any damaged parts.
Safety
labels should be in place and visible.
Drivelines should have guards and shields in place and
should be in proper working condition.
Use proper hitching when attaching implement to PTO shaft
to prevent binding. Proper length is
also important to prevent PTO shaft from coming apart.
Personal
Protection
Do
not wear loose fitting clothing or articles that might get caught in a turning
PTO shaft.
Watch
out for loose shoestrings, they can get caught as well.
Do
not step or lean over a turning PTO shaft.
Disengage
the PTO shaft and turn the tractor off if performing maintenance.
This publication is written
and designed by Charles V. Privette, III. If you have any questions, concerns,
or ideas for future articles, please send to Charles V. Privette, III, 224
McAdams Hall, Box 340357, Clemson, SC 29634-0357, privett@clemson.edu,
or (864)-656-6247.
This publication can be found
at www.clemson.edu/safety/newslett.htm.
Clemson University
Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to people of all ages,
regardless of race, color, gender, religion, national origin, disability,
political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital or family status and is an equal
opportunity employer.