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According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the
agricultural sector is still the most dangerous in the nation
with more than 400 fatalities in 2022, and Country Financial
reports receiving more than 5,000 accident-related farm claims
over the last three years. The data shows that the majority of
those are due to incidents with transportation or equipment.
For this reason, the third week of September has been recognized
as National Farm Safety and Health Week, a time to increase
awareness of the high injury and fatality risk in agriculture
and to improve agricultural health outcomes through outreach and
education. This year’s theme is “Don’t Learn Safety by
Accident.”
Zachary Hinthorn, from the Ag Underwriting team at Country
Financial, said this is the time of year when slower moving
vehicles are on Illinois roads.
“Combines are bigger than they've ever been and it seems like
every year people forget that large equipment is on the roads
during harvest time, so make sure you keep your combines or
other implements clean, and try to make sure you have a visible
SMV sign on your vehicle,” said Hinthorn.
Hinthorn also advises farmers to take frequent breaks and not
push themselves past healthy limits. Accidents are more likely
once fatigue sets in.
Harvest is in the early stages in Illinois and will most likely
pick up in the coming days. According to the United States
Department of Agriculture, as of last week, 7% of corn has been
harvested in the state and 6% of soybeans has been harvested.
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