A while back, we did a "Tip" which dealt with Farm Safety. That "Tip" mostly covered the safe handling of livestock. But there are many other aspects of Farm Safety. Much of this article by Robin Fazio appeared in the Tennessee Cooperator, the Farmer's Co-op monthly newsletter. I believe these points are important enough to repeat here.
Did you know that accidents are the biggest cause of death for persons up to age 44? Couple this with the fact that farming is one of the most dangerous occupations, and it is very likely that at some time you, a family member, or an employee could be injured in a farm accident. If there was an emergency on your farm, would you know what to do?
The way in which people react in the first few minutes of a medical emergency often makes the difference between life and death. While the best way to reduce the number of accidents on your farm is to remove risk-causing factors, it is impossible to completely remove all risk - from farms or from life in general. A rural farm is often far from a hospital, so you may have to care for a victim (or yourself) for a while until help can arrive. You should be prepared for emergencies by learning first-aid techniques. Here are some basics:
- Check the scene for dangerous situations or clues to the accident. Remove the source of danger if at all possible. An example would be to turn off the electricity if a person has received an electrical shock.
- Call 911 or the local emergency number, regardless of the situation. Carry a cell phone or radio. I personally don't have cell phone service, because of the high cost, but this is a powerful argument to get such service.
- Care for the victim until further help arrives. Remain calm and reassure the victim that help is on the way. Move the victim only if you deem it absolutely necessary - for example the buck that just stomped him could not be removed from the pen and he's about to come around for a second "helping" as it were. Peform specific first aid techniques dictated by the situation.
- Incidentally, now is not the ideal time to learn first aid. It is extremely important that you know the proper methods of administering first aid, such as rescue breathing or CPR. Without CPR, an unconscious person with no pulse could die before help arrives. On the other hand, if you conduct CPR improperly, you could actually do more harm than good. Therefore, you, your family, and employees should take first aid and CPR courses, which are available from the American Red Cross. You can locate your area Red Cross by calling 1-800-HELP-NOW or on the web at www.redcross.org.
Because you will need supplies to administer first aid, prepare emergency kits and place them in all vehicles (including tractors) and buildings. Basic first aid kits for the farm should include the following items:
- Instant ice pack
- Oval eye pad
- Thermometer
- Waterproof tape roll
- 4x4 gauze pad
- Latex gloves (2)
- Stainless steel scissors
- Tweezers
- Ace elastic bandage (some stick to themselves - very useful)
- Antibiotic ointment (2)
- Alcohol wipes (4)
- Antihistimine caplets (2)
- Triangle bandage
- Gauze roll bandage
- Plastic zip bag (for amputated parts - God forbid)
- Mouth protection device for mouth to mouth resuscitation
- Adhesive bandages (2 each of small, medium, large, and super-large sizes)
You can assemble these kits yourself or purchase them from the Red Cross. Do this now - don't wait for an emergency. When an accident happens, even seconds count. Someone will be depending on YOU. If you don't know how to help, who will?
