DEFECTS OF FARM TOOLS AND REMEDIES

rear loaders

You're bound to come across the occasional dangerous situation when

rotary tillers

rotavators

round balers

the most potentially dangerous products.

sack elevators

Some of the most common types of defective farm equipment include:

seed drills

working on a farm. Chances are you'll encounter a defective product at some

point -- a tool, a piece of machinery, or farming equipment. You can protect
yourself from faulty or recalled farm equipment by learning to identify some of

air seeders

single tine-separation systems

backhoes

spading machines

balers

sprayers

cattle farming equipment

square balers

chisel plows

straw shredders

combine harvesters

subsoilers

conveyor belts

sulky plows

cotton pickers

tedders

cotton strippers

terragaters

cultivators

timber forwarders

drum mowers

tractors

feed grinders

trailers

flail shredders

transplanters

front-end loaders

vacuum tankers

harrows

windrowers

harvesters

and more

hay rakes

integral planters

log splitters

manure spreaders

of these types of equipment can cause serious injuries, or

mowers

even death. Accidents involving defective farm equipment can be

pickup trucks

ploughs

potato diggers

plan for the future. We have a longstanding history of successful

potato planters

verdicts and settlements, and we have high standards of client care.

power tillers

precision drills

pump units

Farm Equipment Injuries?

Simply put farm equipment can be very dangerous, especially if
the machine you're using is defective and not working properly. Any

devastating for both the person injured and the farm as a whole.
But with help from our Pennsylvania lawyers at Edgar Snyder &
Associates, you can get compensation for your injuries and help to

From the moment you hire our attorneys, we go to work on your

product liability case:

We bring in our own investigators to gather and preserve

evidence.

We take photos and video, and hire experts when necessary

to prove your farm equipment injury case.

We research every detail of the tool, machinery, or

equipment that caused your injuries.

conditions. Employers must take steps to help workers become

acclimated.

Prevention. Heat-related illnesses, while potentially deadly, are

easily preventable. When working in hot conditions, remember

We gather your medical records and other documents we

"WATER, REST, SHADE." Drink water every 15 minutes, even when

need.

not thirsty. Wear a hat and light-colored clothing. Rest in the shade.
Be sure to watch out for fellow workers and know your location in

We keep you updated on the progress of your case,

answering your questions quickly and treating you with the
respect you deserve as a farmer or farm worker.

We help you figure out your medical bills and paperwork,

case you need to call for assistance. Get help right away if there are
any signs of illness.

LADDERS & FALLS

which can be very confusing.

Deaths and injuries from falls remain a major hazard for

If you can't come to one of our Pennsylvania locations, we'll

farmworkers.

travel to you.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS),

agricultural workers had a non-fatal, fall-related injury rate of

Farmworkers are exposed to numerous safety, health,

48.2 per 10,000 workers in 2011far higher than the same

environmental, biological, and respiratory hazards. These include

type of injury rates in the transportation, mining or

vehicle rollovers, heat exposure, falls, musculoskeletal injuries,

manufacturing industries.

hazardous equipment, grain bins, unsanitary conditions, pesticides,

and many others.

Between 2007 and 2011the BLS reported 167 agricultural

workers' deaths were due to falls.

VEHICLE HAZARDS
Fall protection and ladder safety. OSHA's Fall Protection topics page
In 2011, vehicular accidents caused close to half (276) of the 570

and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health's Fall

fatalities in agriculture. Injuries from vehicular incidents are serious

Injuries Prevention in the Workplace site provide general information

and debilitating to farm activities. For more information, visit

on different types of fall protection. The following resources provide

the Vehicle Hazards page.

fall protection guidance for farm workers and employers:

HEAT

Fall Protection in the Agriculture Sector [3 MB PDF, 36

pages]

Heat-related illness. HEAT ILLNESS CAN BE DEADLY. Every year,

thousands of workers become sick from exposure to heat, and some
even die. These illnesses and deaths are preventable.

Workers exposed to hot and humid conditions are at a high risk of

Guidance note: Falls prevention in the agricultural sector [1

MB PDF, 36 pages]

MUSCULOSKELETAL INJURIES

heat illness, especially if they are doing heavy work tasks or using
bulky protective clothing and equipment. New workers may also be

Workers in agricultural operations for both crop and animal

at greater risk than others if they have not built up a tolerance to hot

production typically use repetitive motions in awkward positions and

which can cause musculoskeletal injuries.

Ergonomic risk factors are found in jobs requiring repetitive, forceful,

or prolonged exertions of the hands; frequent or heavy lifting,
pushing, pulling, or carrying of heavy objects; and prolonged
awkward postures. Vibration and cold may intensify these conditions.

New technology may reduce some types of ergonomic injuries but

increase others. For instance, while dairy farmers have traditionally
been at a higher risk for developing osteoarthritis of the knee , more
3

recent research has shown new technology used in milking has

resulted in a shift in musculoskeletal disorders to the shoulders,
hands and arms.

GRAIN BINS AND SILOS

Ergonomic protections. Proper tools, padding to reduce vibration,

and fewer activities with high repetition are some methods for
reducing musculoskeletal injuries.. The National Institute for
4

Occupational Safety and Health's page on Ergonomics and

Musculoskeletal Disorders provides general information on the topic.
In addition, NIOSH's Simple Solutions: Ergonomics for
Farmworkers has information about early intervention to prevent
these injuries for growers, safety specialists, human resources
managers or anyone with an interest in safe farms.

While safety issues surrounding grain bins and silos are sometimes
overlooked on farms, they pose many dangers. Farmworkers are
exposed to suffocation or engulfment hazards when working with
grain bins and silos, as well as grain dust exposures and explosions.
Suffocation is a leading cause of death in grain storage bins. In 2010,
the number of workers engulfed by grain stored in bins hit a record
high of 57 engulfments and 26 deaths. As a direct result, OSHA
issued a Hazard Alert and an illustrated hazard wallet card [245 KB
PDF , 2 pages] explaining the dangers of working inside grain storage
*

bins. In 2012, 19 workers were engulfed by grain stored in bins, and

HAZARDOUS EQUIPMENT AND MACHINERY

8 died.

Farmworkers routinely use knives, hoes, and other cutting tools;

work on ladders; or use machinery in their shops. However, these
simple tools can be hazardous and have the potential for causing
severe injuries when used or maintained improperly.

All tools should be maintained in good condition and used

according to the manufacturers' instructions.

Suffocation can occur when a worker becomes buried (engulfed) by

grain as they walk on moving grain or attempt to clear grain built up
on the inside of a bin. Moving grain acts like "quicksand" and can
bury a worker in seconds. "Bridged" grain and vertical piles of stored
grain can also collapse unexpectedly if a worker stands on or near it.
Additional information on safety and health issues associated with
grain handling, such as personal protective equipment, use of

Power tools must be properly grounded or double insulated

and all guards or shields must be in place.

Farmworkers should wear the proper personal protective

equipment (PPE) and make sure that clothing has no strings or
loose ends that could be caught by machinery. Long hair
should be tied back to prevent entanglement.

In addition, shops should be well lit and have clear

walkways to eliminate slips, trips and falls.

lifelines, lockout/tagout, and training is located on the OSHA Grain

Handling Safety and Health Topics Page.

UNSANITARY CONDITIONS

The lack of drinking water, sanitation facilities and/or handwashing

facilities can lead to many health effects. Farmworkers may suffer
heat stroke and heat exhaustion from an insufficient intake of
potable water, urinary tract infections due to urine retention from
inadequate availability of toilets, agrichemical poisoning resulting

from lack of handwashing facilities, and infectious and other

from occupational exposure to agricultural pesticides. The regulation

communicable diseases from microbial and parasitic exposures.

covers two types of workers:

The Field Sanitation standard (1928.110) applies to any agricultural

Pesticide handlers -- those who mix, load, or apply

establishment where eleven (11) or more workers are engaged on

agricultural pesticides; clean or repair pesticide application

any given day in hand-labor operations in the field. OSHA standards

equipment; or assist with the application of pesticides in any

require covered employers to provide: toilets, potable drinking

way.

water, and hand-washing facilities to hand-laborers in the field; to

provide each worker reasonable use of the above; and to inform
each worker of the importance of good hygiene practices.

Agricultural workers -- those who perform tasks related

to the cultivation and harvesting of plants on farms or in

greenhouses, nurseries, or forests. Workers include anyone

PESTICIDES AND OTHER CHEMICALS

Pesticide exposure. Pesticides pose risks of short- and long- term

illness to farmworkers and their families. Workers who mix, load or

employed for any type of compensation (including selfemployed) doing tasks -- such as carrying nursery stock,
repotting plants, or watering -- related to the production of

apply pesticides (known as pesticide handlers) can be exposed to

agricultural plants on an agricultural establishment. Workers

toxic pesticides due to spills and splashes, defective, missing or

do not include office employees, truck drivers, mechanics,

inadequate protective equipment, direct spray, or drift. Workers who

and any others not engaged in handling, cultivation, or

perform hand labor tasks in areas that have been treated with

harvesting activities.

pesticides face exposure from direct spray, drift or contact with

pesticide residues on the crop or soil.

The WPS contains requirements for pesticide safety training,

notification of pesticide applications, use of personal protective

Pesticides can present a hazard to applicators, to harvesters

equipment, restricted-entry intervals after pesticide application,

reentering a sprayed field, to family members due to take-home

decontamination supplies, and emergency medical assistance. While

contamination, and to rural residents via air, ground water and food.

EPA covers the use of respirators in the application of pesticides,

Workers may be exposed to pesticides in a variety of ways,

OSHA's Safety and Health Topic page on Respiratory

including: working in a field where pesticides have recently been

Protection provides general information on respirator use and OSHA

applied; breathing in pesticide "drift" from adjoining or nearby fields;

standards that may apply with the use of other chemicals.

working in a pesticide-treated field without appropriate PPE; eating

with pesticide-contaminated hands; eating contaminated fruits and
vegetables; and eating in a pesticide-contaminated field. Workers
may also be exposed to pesticides if they drink from, wash their
hands, or bathe in irrigation canals or holding ponds, where
pesticides can accumulate.

Hazard Communication. Chemicals must be properly labeled so

farmworkers know the identity and hazards of the chemicals they
may be exposed to at work. OSHA has information to assist
employers and workers ensure that hazard communication is
properly addressed in their workplaces. In addition, certain OSHA
standards address hazard communications. As explained

Pesticide protection. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

in1910.1200(b)(5)(i), pesticides covered under FIFRA are exempt

oversees pesticide use through the Worker Protection Standard

from the OSHA labeling requirements since EPA regulates these

(WPS). The WPS is a regulation for agricultural pesticides which is

labels.

aimed at reducing the risk of pesticide poisonings and injuries

among agricultural workers and pesticide handlers. The WPS
protects employees on farms, forests, nurseries, and greenhouses

20 pages] have identified several methods to prevent zoonotic

RESPIRATORY DISTRESS

infections, including:
Respiratory hazards. Respiratory hazards. Respiratory hazards in
barns, manure pits, machinery and silos range from acute to chronic

Personal protective actions and equipment, such as, hand

air contaminants. Farmworkers' most common respiratory hazards

hygiene, the use of appropriate gloves and outer protection,

are bioaerosols, such as organic dusts, microorganisms, and

facial and respiratory protection and the tracking of aggressive

endotoxins and chemical toxicants from the breakdown of grain and

animals, so that restraints are used when necessary.

animal waste. Inorganic dust, from silicates in harvesting and tilling,

is prevalent but less significant.

Environmental infection control, such as cleaning and

disinfecting surfaces and equipment, vaccinating healthy

Changes to farming mechanisms have both improved working

animals, isolating diseased animals, disposing of infected

conditions and increased exposure to respiratory hazardsmainly

due to the increased density in animal confinement.

tissues or dead animals appropriately and controlling the

infestation of pests which can be a carrier of these infections.

Respiratory protection. Control of aerosols might include the

Worker health, such as vaccinating workers and providing

enclosure and ventilation of tractors, applying moisture to friable

material, and respirators.

proper training.
6

Helpful links include:

Worker health, such as vaccinating workers and providing proper

training. Worker health, such as vaccinating workers and providing
7

OSHA's Safety and Health Topic page on Respiratory

Protection.

proper training. The National Association of State Public Health

Veterinarians, Veterinary Infection Control Committee [562 KB PDF,
20 pages] have identified several methods to prevent needlestick

OSHA's Safety and Health Topics page on Cotton Dust.

NIOSH Hazard Control page on Control of Organic Dusts

and related injuries, including:

Having an approved sharps container,

Never removing the needle cap with one's mouth,

Avoiding the recapping of needles,

Wearing the appropriate personal protection equipment,

From Bedding Choppers in Dairy Barns.

OSHA's Safety and Health Topics page on Ventilation.

ZOONOTIC INFECTIONS & RELATED HAZARDS

Zoonoses are infectious diseases common to animals and humans.

such as gloves.

As new infections evolve, the numbers and types of zoonoses

change. More recent types of these infections include avian flu,
methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and West Nile
virus. The agricultural worker's risk of acquiring a zoonotic infection
varies with the type and species of animal and the geographic
location.

NOISE

Thousands of workers every year suffer from preventable hearing

loss due to high workplace noise levels, and research has shown that
those who live and work on farms have had significantly higher rates
of hearing loss than the general population. In fact, farming is
8

The National Association of State Public Health

Veterinarians, Veterinary Infection Control Committee [562 KB PDF,

among the occupations recognized as having the highest risks for

hearing loss.

Tractors, forage harvesters, silage blowers, chain saws, skid-steer

OTHER HAZARDS

loaders, grain dryers, squealing pigs and guns are some of the most
typical sources of noise on the farm. Studies suggest that lengthy

Farmworkers may face a number of other hazards due to being

exposure to these high sound levels have resulted in noise-induced

outside. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health's

hearing loss to farmworkers of all ages, including teenagers. Hearing

(NIOSH's) Workplace Safety and Health Topics page onHazards to

loss is not as dramatic nor as sudden as an injury from a tractor

Outdoor Workers includes information on:

overturn or machine entanglement, but it is permanent.

Other Biological Hazards. These include vector-borne

diseases, venomous wildlife and insects, and poisonous plants.

Employers can achieve noise reduction in several ways - usually

related to the maintenance of the equipment:

Extreme Cold.

Lightning.

Ultraviolet Radiation.

Worn, loose, or unbalanced machine parts can increase

decibel levels during operation. Regular lubrication and parts
replacement (bearings, mufflers, silencers, etc.,) reduce
friction and lower noise levels.
Confined Space. Besides grain storage, farmworkers face dangers in

Larger engines that can be operated at lower speeds

entering other confined spaces such as:

reduce noise levels, and may even conserve fuel.

Manure pits.

Flat storage buildings.

Tanks.

Vibration isolation pads may be installed under the legs of

noisy equipment to reduce noise generated by the equipment
vibrating on a cement floor.

Newer chainsaws and leaf blowers have flexible mountings

to reduce vibration-induced noise as well.

A NIOSH Alert publication, Preventing Deaths of Farm Workers in

Manure Pits, provides basic guidance. In addition, OSHA's Safety and

Tractor and skid-steers can be purchased with sound

reducing cabs and tightly fitted cab doors and windows to
reduce how much outside noise reaches the operator.

Acoustical materials may be installed on walls and ceilings

to enclose sound.

Health Topics page on Confined Space, provides further guidance on

different types of confined spaces.

Skin Disorders. Workers in the agricultural sector are at risk of

potentially harmful exposures of the skin. The NIOSH Workplace
Safety & Health Topics page on Skin Exposures & Effectsprovides
information on the different types of exposures and the associated

In addition, employers may provide workers with personal protective

hazards.

equipment (PPE) but must train them in using the PPE correctly.
OSHA's Safety and Health Topics Page on PPE describes proper use
of personal protective equipment.

Electrical Hazards. Electrical hazards in agriculture range from the

dangers of hitting overhead wires when using large equipment to the
possibility of hitting underground wires when digging. OSHA's page

Noise and Hearing Conservation - OSHA's Safety and Health Topics

on Electrical Safety and the NIOSH Workplace Safety & Health Topics

Page on Occupational Noise Exposure provides a comprehensive

page on Electrical Safety provide resources on preventing a range of

review of the hazards of noise, the means of protection, as well as

electrical accidents.

OSHA requirements.