National Farm Safety and Health Week runs through Saturday; safety videos are a big hit

National Farm Safety and Health Week began Sunday and runs through Saturday. This year's theme is “Farm Safety: A Legacy to be Proud of.” The week was created to "remind local and rural communities that agriculture is one of the most dangerous occupations in the U.S. and farm injuries and fatalities are preventable through education," says the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety at Northeast Iowa Community College. The most recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that agriculture, forestry and fishing combined have 22.2 deaths a year for every 100,000 workers.

A feature being promoted this year is U.S. Agricultural Safety and Health Centers' YouTube channel. It includes more than 90 safety and health videos related to agriculture, forestry and fishing, says a press release. Some of the most popular topics have been grain bins, dairy, tractor rollovers, needlestick injuries and heat illness. Recent videos feature dairy stockmanship. Many videos are in English and Spanish.
Now that harvest season is underway, drivers in agricultural areas need to be on the lookout for slow moving tractors on rural roadways, Cindy Larson reports for the News-Sentinel in Fort Wayne, Ind. Indiana has created the "Be Alert, Slow Down, Share the Road" campaign to educate residents about the dangers of driving on rural roads during harvest time. The campaign includes safety tips for driving on roads where one might encounter farm equipment.