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It's an attitudeHow many times have you skipped a step that would have taken two minutes, but cost you your life? Be honest. I'm sure the true answer is "Many times." You are comfortable in your occupations as farmers and ranchers. You know you must work hard and smart to get the job done on time. Because of that familiarity, you begin to feel a bit invincible--an accident won't happen because it never has before. But the truth is accidents happen all too often and many times to producers who haven't ever experienced an accident before. The National Safety Council reports over 700 farmers and ranchers die in work-related accidents yearly. Another 120,000 agricultural workers suffer disabling injuries from work-related accidents. I write this column in the middle of National Farm Safety and Health Week, Sept. 20 to 26. The purpose of the week is to raise awareness regarding safety and health issues for rural families across America. Even President Barak Obama has made a national proclamation in honor of the week. But no proclamations, news stories or even a column written by an agricultural editor is going to make a difference in your safety, unless you choose to make a change. And while rollover protection structures and power take-off shields have greatly enhanced safety--it all comes down to you and your attitude toward safety. You must make the decision to protect yourself, your workers and your family. The safety-minded attitude must not leave you, even when you are in a hurry because something broke on the header of the combine and you must crawl under it to fix it. Take the two minutes it will take to block up the header to prevent it from falling on you. The attitude can't leave you when a job is finished and it would be easier to leave parts strewn across the shop, instead of picking them up. It's an all day, every day safety attitude of thinking ahead and taking precautions to prevent an accident. Please don't let the focus on safety end with the National Farm Safety and Health week. Keep it front of mind and develop an approach that you won't let an accident happen that could have been prevented by better safety precautions. That's one attitude that should be held in high regard on every farm. Holly Martin can be reached by phone at 620-227-1806, or by e-mail at hmartin@hpj.com.
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