Ten tips for tractor safety

No matter how or when you're running machinery, you have to keep safety in mind. According to the National Safety Council, overturned tractors account for nearly 50-percent of tractor fatalities. Remember these "ten recommendations for tractor safety".

Number one – know your tractor, its implements, and how they work. Read and understand your operator's manual.

Two – Use a roll-over protective structure and a seat belt. Research shows that when used together, ROPS and seatbelts are 98-percent effective in preventing tractor-related injuries and death.

Three – Be familiar with the terrain. Walk the area first, and use caution on slopes and turns. 

Four – Never start an engine indoors. Exhaust contains carbon monoxide, which is colorless, odorless, and deadly.
 
Five – Always keep the PTO shielded and be sure to walk around the tractor and implement, never between them. 

Six – Keep your hitches low and always on the drawbar. Otherwise, your tractor could flip over.

Seven – Never get off the tractor when the engine is running. Turn off the engine before you leave the seat. 

Eight – Never refuel while the engine is running or hot.  Also, don't add coolant to the radiator when it's hot, because it can erupt and scald you. 

Nine – Keep children off and away from the tractor and implements. Kids are attracted to machinery but it's not child's play. 

And number ten – Never be in a hurry or take chances with your tractor.  Think safety first, take your time, and do it right.