Managing Safety at Silage Time

Silage season is starting and farmers and contractors around the country will soon be very busy with what is potentially a very dangerous activity – silage making. It’s important that farmers and contractors avoid rushing the job because not taking the necessary time and care can have disastrous consequences. Advance planning and safety management are key to ensuring that silage harvesting is completed safely. Farmers and contractors need to be aware of the dangers and take the necessary precautions. This applies especially where there are children living on the farm. Children on a farmyard must be properly supervised at all times. Children should never be present during silage making.

Tractor and machinery safety

Over the 10-year period 2013-2022, 52 per cent of all fatal farm accidents involved farm vehicles and machinery, 45 per cent involved vehicles (85 fatalities) and 7 per cent involved machinery (14 fatalities). Particular attention should be given to ensuring that tractors, trailers, mowers, harvesters and balers are maintained in good condition, adequately guarded and only used by competent, trained operators. Most tractor accidents are caused because of inexperienced operators, speed, lack of concentration, steep gradient, poor driver vision, unguarded parts and poor mechanical condition of tractor and or trailer. It is essential that measures are taken to avoid these hazards. Always ensure that brakes are serviced on tractors and trailers as there have been a significant number of serious and fatal accidents due to brakes not working adequately. 25 per cent of all vehicle fatal accidents involved parked vehicles that rolled, striking victims. Before attempting to clear blockages in balers, switch off the engine, disengage the PTO and wait until all rotating parts have stopped moving. Where possible, install reverse-drive mechanisms to allow blockages to be cleared without manual intervention.

Safety on the road

Ensure vehicles are operated at a safe speed, are well lit up and that they are in a road-worthy condition. It’s essential that all lights, mirrors, indicators and wipers are fully functioning, clean and visible. Safe access and egress from farmyards and fields must be ensured to avoid road traffic accidents. In addition, farmers and contractors must be careful not to drag muck onto the public road as this may cause vehicles to skid, lose control or overturn. Silage vehicles and machinery are large and wide. Extra care and vigilance need to be taken on narrow country roads as recreational users could be around the next bend. We would also encourage all pedestrians and cyclists to wear high-visibility vests, use the correct side of the road, keep in a single file and listen out for road vehicles especially on narrow, bendy country roads. 

Don’t overfill the pit/clamp

There’s always the temptation to fit that extra bit of silage into the pit/clamp, however this can be extremely dangerous as it can result in the surrounding walls or silage pit/clamp collapsing, especially when dealing with very wet grass. Building the silage pit excessively high puts the operator at undue risk. As a general rule, the finished silage pit/camp should slope at no more than 45 degrees to the retaining walls. The width across the top of the finished silage pit should be a minimum of three times the width of the loader, including dual wheels. Loader operators must be able to ensure the stability of the rolling equipment to prevent loss of control or overturns. 

Stack bales safely

For those that are making bales, ensure that they are stacked in a safe manner, as in recent years a number of farmers have been fatally injured by falling bales.

Steps to safe machinery operation

• Maintain tractors and machinery in a safe condition and check them for defects at the start of every day.
• Only allow competent, experienced people to operate tractors and machinery.
• Know your machinery and use machinery correctly.
• Avoid rushing and always be vigilant.
• Do not take short cuts, and pay attention to safety warnings.
• Ensure all moving parts such as the PTO shaft are guarded properly.
• Disengage the PTO and switch off the tractor engine before attempting to clear blockages.
• Wear suitable clothing when working with machinery.
• Keep children away from the silage activity.

Always think safety first!

Statistics Sources

Health and Safety Authority Data 2013-2022 

Health and Safety Authority | A Review of Work-Related Fatalities in Agriculture in Ireland 2011-2020