sobering thought

[N80]

There are plenty of opportunities for injuries. This by the way was my day.

Sounds like you work on a small or family type farm. Your day sounds much like a typical day for my B-I-L. And that makes me wonder if it is the smaller farms that are the most dangerous. I suspect that in situations where a few people have to do a lot of different (dangerous) jobs, the potential for injury might be greater than for someone who simply drives a combine all day on an industrialized farm. Just a thought.

 

[JayDavis]

You are correct. At 100 acres, the operation is small, but there is always more things to do than you can get done in one day it seems. I am also willing to bet you are right on the small operations having the most injuries. You get people doing it as a secondary profession and they are having to do a lot of different type things in the course of a day.

I forgot who brought it up, but mechanical injuries are one aspect, another is animal. You can't always tell what a large animal will do, especially when cornered and scared.

For both mechanical and animal issues, things can happen in the blink of an eye. One second you are on your feet, the next you are on the ground gasping for breath.

 

[CDsdad]

Tractors and motorcycles are very simular.....they want to kill you.

I don't see that similarity.

I can't speak for a motorcycle, I have never had the experience of riding one, or the desire for that matter.

I have never had a tractor show the desire to kill me either. Human error probably accounts for 90% of accidents, or more. The rest is "stuff happens". I have seen farm accidents involving everything from an Angus bull to a Zetor tractor. One was no more vicious than the other. If you get out of the way, neither one would purposely run over you.

 

[Egon]

who simply drives a combine all day on an industrialized farm.

Even large farms are a little more complicated and diversified than operating one machine.

I have a farming friend with two large combines. On average the machines see two weeks of work a year. The rest of the time they sit.

 

[orezok]

Tractors and motorcycles are very simular.....they want to kill you.

My wife was a Navy nurse before retiring and at the emergency room they refer to them as "Donor-cycles". Hmmm...

 

[MikeD74T]

Reminds me of a joke. How many successful jumps do you need to certify as a sky diving instructor?

All of them.

Or if your main chute doesn't open - how long do you have to open your reserve ?????

Answer -the rest of your life !!! MikeD74T

 

[NewToy]

I don't see that similarity.

I can't speak for a motorcycle, I have never had the experience of riding one, or the desire for that matter.

I have never had a tractor show the desire to kill me either. Human error probably accounts for 90% of accidents, or more. The rest is "stuff happens". I have seen farm accidents involving everything from an Angus bull to a Zetor tractor. One was no more vicious than the other. If you get out of the way, neither one would purposely run over you.

Human error & a large chunk of iron or a small fast moving one can easily result in serious injury or death. I have had a motorized two wheeled machine of some sort since I was 10 years old. From mini bike to the fire breathing super whizzers from Japan. After 39 years and no debilatating injuries I have been blessed. I have toned down my riding and am perfectly content to buzz around the farm on my 440cc Cannondale (ATK) dirt bike. I feel more comfortable doing 90 mph across the hayfield than doing 2 mph on a 15* slope with the finishing mower behind the tractor. They are both capable of killing you just as dead if you give them the chance.
I have seen and heard of lots' of farmers getting maimed or killed working in an unsafe manner. There is no "Safety Director" on the farm chiding them for their dangerous ways. I have seen guys get under vehicles that are precariously perched on a floor jack and change oil! I think the farmer is inherently a loner and a risk taker by definition. This applies to their chosen profession and the way they go about their seemingly mundane chores. There are plenty of dangerous things they use in going about their daily routine but in my opinion the biggest danger is complacency. They become jaded to all the dangers and before you know it something is falling, chewing, tromping or grinding them up. I believe these injuries and deaths could be reduced dramatically if their insurance carrier mandated an annual or semi annual safety meeting with their peers. They could swap near death experiences and hopefully avoid becoming a statistic.
Also, I think the Angus Bull might just try to run you down even if your running for life in the opposite direction. Just watch those idiots in Pamplona once a year. They are trying their darndest to get out of the Bull's way and STILL manage to get tromped and gored. They definitely have a mean streak. (The Bull) The people have a stupid streak.




John

 

[Jstpssng]

My wife was a Navy nurse before retiring and at the emergency room they refer to them as "Donor-cycles". Hmmm...

I gave up riding 16 years ago because of 1 near miss too many with a "fellow motorist." It's bad enough when they look past you and don't even see you; but too many people feel that just because they are in a big car, and you're on that little 2 wheeler, it's OK to act like you aren't there.

The last straw was when someone cut me off to get into a store parking lot; I later found out they were laughing their A**es off about the way my bike kicked around when I hit the brakes. Not long before that, some woman pulled out of a parking lot and cut me off; I kicked the rear wheel out to miss her, and skidded out around her front end. As I sat inches in front of her plow frame, trying to get the bike out of 3rd so I could start it again, she was swearing at me to get the H*** out of her way.

 

[k6dyc]

Tractors and motorcycles are very simular.....they want to kill you.

I don't see that similarity.

I suspect that Dave simply means that both can be very dangerous, and you have to watch for the unexpected. In my experience, the tractor driver has more control over the factors leading up to an accident while the motorcycle rider is often at the mercy of other drivers actions. I finally gave up riding after 41 years with only 1 minor spin-out, and I put on a lot of miles. I feel extremely fortunate. I sold my 1978 BMW R100/7 and my Road King in 2005. I feel safer when I'm on the tractor.

 

[daTeacha]

Living in farm country, I can attest that dairy bulls sometimes DO want to stomp a guy into the dirt. Tractors and such may be involved in getting hurt, but a dairy bull will suddenly and intentionally try to mix you with the mud.

We have more occupied graves than anyone would want for just that reason, one being filled with the remains of a 20ish guy who was working with a bull he had raised from a calf, taken to the county fair, etc. It just suddenly decided to kill him one day and then spread him around the inside of the stall for good measure. His parents found what was left of him a couple hours after the fact. That stall is still there but it has never been used since.

For that matter, a Hampshire or Suffolk ram will try to do a number on you, too. We had one that you simply couldn't turn your back on or he would come at you. I always carried a shovel handle when I was around him and smacked him in the head, across the shins, etc. to discourage him. The only time he learned anything was once when I sidestepped him and tagged him in the, umm, "udder" as he went by. His hindquarters kind of sagged quite a bit and after that he kept his distance. I still didn't trust him, though.