MADISON, Wis. — The third week of September is National Farm Safety and Health Week. While preventing farm accidents is the focus of this annual promotion, it is also important to remember to prevent everyday wear and tear on joints and muscles. For people farming with a disability or health limitation, this becomes an even larger concern.
“For people living with disabilities, it’s really important to do the little things to help prevent wear and tear on your body,” said Andrea Klahn, outreach specialist at AgrAbility of Wisconsin. “Maybe it’s a better seat on your tractor when you’re going to be in there for eight hours a day during harvest. We see a lot of farmers who have bad backs, hips and knees. A comfortable place for you to sit is very important if you have a bad back.”
AgrAbility of Wisconsin promotes success in agriculture for farmers and their families living with a farm injury, disability or health limitation, and is a partnership between the University of Wisconsin Extension and Easterseals Wisconsin. As a national program, AgrAbility has 22 projects funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“We come on your farm with a fresh set of eyes and make recommendations tailored to your operation, limitations and goals,” Klahn said. “When we see clients who have sustained an on-farm accident and lost mobility or lost a limb, we can recommend assistive technology and equipment to help them continue to farm safely.”
Klahn said she has seen different incidents and also medical conditions like Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, hearing loss and vision loss. An AgrAbility rural rehabilitation specialist staffed by the Easterseals FARM Team works with each person to determine what equipment or tools would be of greatest benefit to them. For example, one client with diabetes is switching his equipment from foot controls to hand controls as a safety measure because his reflexes are getting slower.
One of the easiest things a person can do to make a tractor safer ergonomically, Klahn said, is to add a step and handrail kit. These steps are lower and positioned at an angle while also featuring a handrail.
“That step is really high on a John Deere 4020, for example, and what goes up must come down,” Klahn said. “It’s hard on your knees. You should have three points of contact when getting in and out of a piece of equipment so that you are not jumping off and hurting your joints. It doesn’t feel that bad when you’re 22, but it’s going to hurt more when you’re 55.”
To avoid straining their neck, shoulders and back while driving a tractor, farmers may invest in a camera system or a better set of mirrors. This will give drivers visibility of what is behind them without having to continually turn around.
Automatic hitches make work faster and easier, Klahn said, eliminating the need to get in and out of a tractor. Rollover gates have the same effect, removing the need to get in and out of a vehicle. Eliminating repetitive motions helps improve body mechanics.
Hearing protection is another area of prevention.
“Put a set of earplugs in all of your cab-less tractors,” Klahn said. “It’s so much cheaper to buy ear protection than to have hearing aids someday.”
Knee pads and anti-vibration gloves are also helpful items. These specialty gloves provide an extra layer of protection to reduce impact for tasks like roto tilling and push mowing or when using a chainsaw.
Grain bin indicators installed on grain bins alleviate a person from having to climb up and down to see where grain levels are at.
“This is one more opportunity to slip and fall,” Klahn said. “Falls are so dangerous, especially for older people. Your life expectancy can be really short after a fall.”
The Toolbox on the national AgrAbility Project’s website is an assistive technology database containing product ideas that can help make farming easier for people in a variety of situations.
“There are all sorts of items to help if you’re having back problems, arthritis, vision or hearing impairment, etc.,” Klahn said. “For someone with narcolepsy, there is an ear piece you can wear that will prompt you when your head starts to nod. It gives you a vibration to wake you up.”
As a certified assistive technology professional and program director for Easterseals Wisconsin FARM Program, Jeff Kratochwill helps implement various products and devices for people who have suffered an injury.
“Most of my work involves assistive technology assessments and trying to find accommodations after a farmer has had an injury,” Kratochwill said. “For example, I’m currently working with a guy who had an arm amputation. He is having a tough time driving a skid (loader), so I am trying to figure out how to modify it so that he can drive the machine with one arm.”
Kratochwill said he also tries to prevent a secondary injury for someone with limited mobility. Rubberized alley mats in the center walk of a stanchion barn or parlor is a common safety feature he recommends.
“Standing on a rubber cushion instead of directly on concrete saves wear and tear on ankles, knees, hips and back,” he said. “There are manufacturers that make mats directly marketed for dairy applications. It provides some grip to prevent the farmer from slipping or sliding.”
For milking in a stanchion barn, Kratochwill said a track system that carries units can reduce joint stress. The system also incorporates a handrail which improves safety when crossing the gutter.
“Automatic takeoffs are usually combined with this system,” Kratochwill said. “A track system reduces repetitive bending and squatting, thereby conserving joints.”
A skid loader is another area of potential danger, especially for a person with limited mobility.
“I see a lot of farmers who have fallen or slipped when getting out of a skid (loader),” Kratochwill said. “This is a high area of injury. Oftentimes, you’re stepping on a bucket that has manure, snow or ice on it. There is no cushion, and if you slip, you’re landing right on that steel. To have that kind of fall is disastrous for someone whose mobility is limited.”
A step and handrail system makes getting in and out of a skid loader safer.
“It takes a little extra time to drive up to the steps, but taking that time is much more valuable than time spent in the hospital after a fall — especially for a guy limited in mobility,” Kratochwill said. “The steps keep you safe.”
In addition to the physical equipment and technology that can make farming easier, there are things all farmers can do to feel better that require no cost, such as stretching. According to a stretching brochure created specifically for farmers by the AgrAbility project in Nebraska, stretching increases flexibility, improves range of motion, improves circulation and relieves stress.
“Farmers are tough, and they get used to the aches and pains, but it doesn’t always have to be that way,” Klahn said. “You don’t have to get used to that. You would never go in the field without calibrating your planter or combine, so why not have a check-in with yourself? There is a lot of assistive technology out there, and sometimes it can be the little things that help improve your quality of life.”
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