STRICTLY BUSINESS: HARVEST TIME HERE, SAFETY ON FARM STRESSED

Agriculture is one of the most hazardous industries in the United States.

In 1997, the death rate of 21 per 100,000 farm workers was second only to the mining industry. Some 710 workers died, and more than 150,000 were permanently disabled by injuries on U.S. farms and ranches.

This is down from some previous years.

Farming has long ranked near the top of the most dangerous occupations in the nation, alternating with mining and construction. In some years agriculture has topped the list. In 1993, it was identified as the most hazardous industry in the nation by the National Safety Council. The agriculture fatality rate that year was 44 deaths per 100,000 workers.

More than 100,000 agricultural injuries and more than 500 farm deaths are reported each year. They involve more than 3.1 million men and women who work on 2.3 million farms.

No matter how careful people are, accidents happen, and tractor rollovers account for more than 50 percent of all tractor-related accidents. It is a statistic that has remained constant for more than 50 years.

In Missouri, more than 4,500 lost-time injuries and 35 to 40 farm deaths a year are reported. During a recent five-year farm-accident survey, Illinois recorded an average of almost 100 farm accidents and 30 fatalities a year.

This is National Farm Safety Week. It's also harvest time on many farms.

Farmers everywhere are reminded that many agriculture injuries take place during harvest season, September in particular, when almost 20 percent of farm accidents occur, say statisticians for the Missouri Agriculture Statistics Service of the Missouri Department of Agriculture.

"Precision Farming Includes Safety and Health" is the theme of the 55th National Farm Safety and Health Week, being observed this week.

The majority of lost-time injuries and fatalities occur in the spring and fall. Most injuries in Missouri in recent years were reported during harvest time,

June through July and September through October are high-accident months, said Van H. Ayers, agriculture engineering specialist with University Outreach and Extension at Bloomfield.

Tractor rollovers and PTO accidents are most numerous, especially during harvest time, say farm officials. The PTO, short for power take-off shaft, turns at more than 500 revolutions a minute. Farmers should keep the PTOs covered. A lot of accidents happen when farmers try to clear a PTO when it has become jammed.

Farm studies show that a spinning PTO shaft can entangle and tear clothing at a rate of 5 to 7 feet per second. Safety experts say there is no reason to ever go near a powered PTO shaft.

Every year, hundreds of farm accidents occur on the nation's highways, involving slow-moving farm machinery and motor vehicles as farmers rely on rural roads and highways to move their machinery.

On an average, agriculture equipment operates at 15 to 18 miles per hour on the road. Safety measures for farm equipment include "slow-moving" emblems and working lights on equipment.

A Missouri Department of Agriculture survey reveals that the most common accidents are tractor rollovers, especially when more than one person is aboard.

Safety experts stress that following good safety practices should be a round-the-clock part of everyday farm life for the whole family. Farmers are urged never to carry an extra rider on equipment. In 1997, an estimated 115 people were fatally injured from riding along on equipment.

At this time of year, drivers of motor vehicles also should take precautionary measures. Because of the difference in travel speeds, motorists may have only a few seconds to react after seeing a tractor or wagon in front of them.

Because of the rural nature of agriculture and the isolated nature of agriculture work, emergency medical care is not always immediately available to farmers and ranchers.

Farmers should prepare for the unexpected and develop an emergency plan BEFORE an accident occurs: Install a telephone on the farm grounds, inspect the first aid kit and refresh its supplies, and be trained for emergency conditions.

The National Safety Council (1-800-621-7619) will provide information on family and community first-aid and CPR training.

Studies from a 35-state survey reveal that seven of 10 accidents include a male member of the family between the ages 15 and 44. Two of 10 accidents involve hired male workers. This means one of every 10 accidents involve a female.

Other findings of that Department of Agriculture survey:

-- Farm accidents are most likely to happen in a field in daylight when the temperature is 51 to 85 degrees on a clear day.

-- Hay balers cause more fatalities than any other equipment; corn pickers cause more permanent injuries.

-- Field work accounts for four of every 10 farm accidents, and machinery maintenance another three of every 10.

-- More accidents happen on Tuesdays, with the two most dangerous hours at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

-- About 300 people under the age of 20 die in agricultural accidents each year.

-- Livestock causes 19 percent of farm injuries; machinery other than tractors 15 percent; and hand tools 11 percent.

B. Ray Owen is business editor for the Southeast Missourian.