Safety Tips

Raisin Trailer Retrofit Can Improve Safety

Fitting raisin-harvest bin trailers with fenders could eliminate one source of severe injury to workers, according to Steve Sutter, APMP Farm Advisor in Fresno. Reports from the California Occupational Health Program have identified several crushing injuries and one death in 1994 resulting from the worker's leg being pulled into the gap between the tire and edge of a moving bin trailer. Estimated cost of adding fenders is about $100 per trailer.

Post-Harvest Suggestions from Richard Bruce

The end of the season is a good time to review any problems that took place during harvest.

• Particularly review management problems. Workers usually want to do a good job, but without adequate planning, there may be a lot of needless rush.
• Go over equipment with operators and list mechanical problems so they can be repaired off-season.
• Make sure all equipment starts easily. Equipment that will not start may be left running during repairs or maintenance and can cause serious injuries.

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