A couple of years ago, three Tennesseeans died in accidents involving large round bales. Joel Lown, a safety specialist with the Agricultural Extension Service, suggests looking at your round bale operation. Out of respect for those who died, we should do our best to learn from their deaths.
One
victim was struck by a tractor carrying a round bale - so
carry bales low, drive more slowly, and make certain you know
what is ahead. Another fatality involved a tractor that overturned
while descending a hill with a round bale -- rebalance your
tractor when carrying bales by shifting, adding, or removing
weights or carrying a second bale on the other end of the
tractor; respect your tractor's limits; move slowly on slopes.
The third farmer was killed by a falling bale while he was
stacking bales in a shed -- because of their weight and tendency
to roll, round bales need to be handled with great care; don't
overstack.
This news release was distributed by the University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service, University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service, Knoxville, Tennessee 37901. Publication date: July 1993.
Joel B. Lown, Agricultural Safety Specialist, Agricultural Engineering Department, University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service, Knoxville, Tennessee 37901.
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