Harvest season is ready to begin, and residents in the area are going to be seeing more farm equipment on the roads as the season gets into full swing. National Farm Safety and Health Week begins Sunday, Sept. 18 and continues until Friday, Sept. 24. The theme this year for the safety week is Farm Safety: A Legacy to be Proud of. Andrea Irlbeck, county youth coordinator for the Iowa State University Extension office in Carroll County, says farmers work hard to keep the harvest season safe.
Tractors, particularly tractor rollovers, are the leading cause of injuries and fatalities on farms in Iowa and nationwide. Nearly half of all tractors in operation today do not have any type of rollover protective structure, and accidents on the roadways can be prevented with help from drivers.
Statistics from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health show the fatality rate for farmers and farm workers is about 20 deaths per 100,000 workers compared to the overall rate of work-related fatalities in the U.S. at 3.4 deaths per 100,000. The awareness week hopes to make safety a lasting legacy of Iowa farmers.
