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Vol. 10, No. 3, May 2009
Contents
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THOUGHTS & QUOTES
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…one incident,
many victims...
In Richard
Hawk's "Safety Stuff" from Sept. 5, 2008, a safety
trainer explains how machine guarding is a must when it comes
to safety. In her training, she first shows a couple of clips
from the movie Walk the Line, the Johnny Cash story.
Johnny's brother, Jack, died
when he was pulled into an unguarded table saw. and the overall
and lifelong impact it had on he and his family. The alcoholic
father tormented Johnny after his brother's death, and it changed
Johnny Cash's attitude forever.
The trainer states: "We
never know what all the outcomes of an injury are going to be.
A death can create turmoil in many areas of a family's life.
An injury can devastate a home by putting someone out of work
and unable to provide for their family. In either case no one
knows what an individual will do under any circumstance."
Here's a brief excerpt from
Wikipedia
about the incident:
"Cash was very close to
his brother Jack, who was two years older. In 1944, Jack was
pulled into a whirling table saw in the [high school ag shop]
where he worked, and cut almost in two. He suffered for over
a week before he died.
"Cash often spoke of the
horrible guilt he felt over this incident. According to Johnny
Cash: The Autobiography, his father was away that morning,
but he and his mother, and Jack himself, all had premonitions
or a sense of foreboding about that day, causing his mother to
urge Jack to skip work and go fishing with his brother. Jack
insisted on working, as the family needed the money."
This is a very public example
of how safety (or lack thereof) impacts not just the person injured
but also others -- including friends and family. After taking
my safety class, many students note that, until they heard real
life examples, they had never really thought about how it would
affect their family and friends if something were to happen to
them. (Remember that these students are 19-21 and typically do
not think about these things.) Through their journals, I see
how the class increases their awareness of hazards and safety.
They take safety more seriously which leads to taking action
and doing something about it.
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Safety Trivia
- Cat's Eye Road Studs
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One night in 1933, Englishman
Percy Shaw was driving home when he saw his headlights reflected
in the eyes of a cat, alerting him to the fact that he was veering
off the road. He immediately thought that reflectors embedded
in the road surface would make night driving much safer and named
his invention Catseyes.
At night if you are going the
wrong way, these road reflectors will shine red in your headlights.
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Rural Security
Reminders
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Although this has been in SN&N
before,
it never hurts to remind people about security issues in rural
areas. Especially as more people may be moving to acreages in
the country.
An excellent tip sheet containing
Agricultural
and Rural Crime Prevention information is available from
the St. John's County Florida Sheriff's Office.
There are also materials about
security issues on-line at the Florida
SART Web site. Chemical safety and security information can
also be found at our Disaster
Handbook Web site. Look under "Other Disaster Products."
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Farm Safety
Star
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Adventures
with Farm Safety Star
is a booklet with coloring and other activities to help kids
learn about safety on the farm. It is a product of Alberta (Canada)
Farm Safety Program. Farm Safety Star is a 'caped crusader' who
shows kids hazards to avoid. The acronym STAR stands for:
- Spot the Hazard
- Tell an Adult
- Act on it
- Remind Others
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Horse Safety
Resources
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New to horses? Or Just need
safety reminders? Here are a couple of Extension resources that
provide a wealth of information.
Horse Safety Resources is a publication by Penn State Extension
that was developed for their 4-H program. However, it certainly
can be used by non-4-Hers as well. It includes a comprehensive
list of horse safety resources, many of which are available on-line
at no cost.
More good information materials
are available from the Rutgers
University Equine Science Center.
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Spontaneous
Combustion of Hay
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If hay has to be baled under
wetter conditions, it is at a higher risk for spontaneous combustion.
Be especially careful about storing damp hay in barns or stables
with livestock or horses. Moisture trapped in hay allows the
growth of microbes which can generate enough heat to ignite the
hay.
More information:
Spontaneous
Combustion of Hay from Washington State University Extension
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Potting Soil
Fires
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There have been a number of
reports lately about fires occurring in planters or flowerpots
in which potting soil has been used. The fires are of a smouldering
nature and, if the planter or flowerpot is plastic, can also
result in melting the container. If other combustible material
is in close proximity to the planter or flowerpot it may become
involved resulting in a flaming fire. In some cases dead plants
have contributed to the fuel load.
Commercially prepared potting
soil may contain little or no actual soil. It is frequently a
mixture of peat moss, shredded wood and bark and non-organic
material, such as vermiculite or perlite. Some potting soil has
fertilizer added that can act as an oxidizing agent making the
fire more intense.
The Wisconsin Consumer Protection
Office tested the combustibility of potting soil by laying a
cigarette on top of the potting soil in a flowerpot. It started
smouldering and eventually burned down through the potting soil
to the bottom of the pot.
In most of the incidents, it
has been determined that the actual ignition source was discarded
smoking material. People have butted out their cigarette in the
potting soil thinking that it was earth and would extinguish
the cigarette. It is worth noting that the delay between discarding
the smoking material and the ignition of the potting soil can
be considerable, in some cases several hours.
Some of these fires have been
attributed to spontaneous combustion. However, this is extremely
unlikely. Although peat moss can spontaneously ignite, to create
the conditions under which this is possible would require a much
larger quantity of material than would normally be found in even
a large planter or flower pot. A depth of several feet is usually
necessary to allow sufficient heat build up to result in ignition.
Fire departments should not attribute the fire cause to spontaneous
combustion just because no evidence of smoking materials was
found. Any such evidence may be destroyed by the fire.
Planter Fire Safety Tips
- Do not use planters or flowerpots
as ashtrays.
- In areas where people may
be smoking, provide proper ashtrays or non-combustible containers
filled with sand.
- Keep plants well watered to
prevent the potting soil from drying out.
- Remove and dispose of dead
plants promptly.
- Where possible, use non-combustible
planters and flowerpots.
- Do not locate planters or
flowerpots close to other combustible material.
-- by Robert Harpur, PE (from
the Ontario
Fire Service Messenger, Vol. 16, no. 4)
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| A
fire occurred in this planter on an apartment balcony when the
occupant attempted to extinguish a cigarette in the soil. |
A
picture of the damage that was caused to the apartment building
by the fire which started in the planter. |
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Safe Play
Areas
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Size Does
Matter - ATV Safety Poster
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popular television show gave us the expression "More Power",
but if you use machines, you know that the machine should be
chosen to fit the job and the operator. A poster from Penn State
University offeres guidance on how to choose the right ATV. Check
out the Fit
for ATV Safety poster to learn more about matching the
power of the ATV to the age of the operator, selecting the right
ATV for the job, and of course, using the right safety gear. |
[top]
Safety Is
a Family Affair - Online Safety Video
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Kubota has posted an online
video entitled "Safety
Is a Family Affair." This professionally produced video
discusses the importance of safety as a family value. The family
in the video must face the challenge of an older family member
who does not want to spend the money on a ROPS retrofit. After
all these parents have done to protect themselves and their children,
the presence of this ROPS-less tractor is a hazard and sends
the wrong message.
This video includes demos of
overturns with and without ROPS and discusses several overturn
scenarios... and it has a happy ending!
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SAFETY
NEWS & NOTES
is an e-mail newsletter prepared by Carol J. Lehtola, Extension
Agricultural Safety Specialist and team leader for the Prevention
and Preparedness: Agricultural Safety & Disaster Management
program. Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering,
UF/IFAS. If you have safety- or disaster-related questions or
ideas that you would like to share with other agents, please
contact Dr. Lehtola. If you know someone interested in receiving
this newsletter, we will gladly add them to the e-mail list.
Past issues of Safety News & Notes are archived on the Florida AgSafe Web site.
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