You need to be prepared for the warmer weather, and when you are working hard to keep the animals on your farm comfortable and safe, it’s important to not forget that keeping yourself safe is just as important.
Equipment Inspection
It’s important to regularly check your equipment, inspecting and maintaining everything as frequently as possible. Be sure to add and test lubricant, as well as check for excess grease build-up in pistons. Additionally, looking out for oil deposits will ensure you are keeping on top of potential leaks around oil seals.
One thing to note before inspecting your equipment, as obvious as this may sound, is to check your equipment is definitely switched off. There are many reports of farmers being injured from attempting to repair machinery that isn’t turned off. It is key to ensure that your machinery is off and everything has come to a standstill. Equally, you should wait until your equipment has been off for some time before attempting to fix it, so you don’t burn yourself from the high temperatures.
Keep an eye on signs of wear and tear. These can quickly turn into damage that can be detrimental to your equipment. The high temperatures, and continuous friction and vibrations inside your machinery can cause significant long lasting damage, by checking your equipment regularly this is something you can maintain. Damage to one area of your machine can result in more damage elsewhere.
For information on machinery and farm safety, you can visit Wynnstay PLC.
Protective Gear
There is a huge range of protective gear available for farming. It’s so important to stock up on PPE on the farm, to keep you safe from the sun, chemicals, and dust. There are training courses available to farmers to get you up to speed on the best PPE on the farm, covering knowledge of the appropriate storage equipment, testing equipment, and skin protection.
Machinery Knowledge
Farming machinery requires somebody with an abundance of experience and knowledge to correctly operate. Throughout the summer you will require your machinery more than ever, so understanding how your machines work heavily reduces the risk of injury, whilst increasing your productivity and output. It’s important to maintain your knowledge so take regular training courses to stay up to scratch on your knowledge. If you have employees on the farm, be sure to keep them up to date with training so that everybody is safe, and accidents are avoided.