Cotton harvesting season brings with it a unique set of risks that farmers should be aware of. Following these five simple safety tips ensures your crew and equipment stay safe during this critical time.
Make sure to review and understand the operator’s manual for all machinery you will be using. Frequently clean steps, engine compartments, and other areas on machinery to prevent fires.
1. Wear the Right Gear
According to Certi-Pik, USA, cotton farmers must carefully plan the harvesting of their crops. They want the cotton to be picked when it is ripe, but not too soon. If the cotton is harvested too early, it won’t be able to mature properly and will have poorer quality.
If the weather is not cooperating at harvest time, getting the crop harvested on schedule can be a real challenge. A sudden cool snap or rain can throw everything off. In addition, the timing of the cotton harvest is often impacted by school holidays. Many schools and colleges have academic year opening dates that coincide with the beginning of the cotton harvest.
The harvesting process involves a machine called a cotton picker, which uses rotating spindles to “pick” the open bolls of cotton from the plant and drop them into a basket. The cotton is then dumped into a module builder, which packs the cotton into eight to twelve-bale modules. The cotton is then ready to be transported by truck to a storage facility or processing plant.
Working in a cotton field requires proper personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect the workers from injury or illness. The work can be extremely tiring, so harvesters need to take regular breaks. In addition, they should make sure to eat well and drink plenty of water. Getting plenty of sleep will also help them stay alert and productive.
In addition to regular maintenance on all farm machinery, cotton harvesters must be kept clean to reduce fire risks and wear down components. Regular cleaning of a John Deere cotton harvester helps decrease downtime and improves productivity in the field. Watch this short video for tips on cleaning a cotton harvester and for more information on general cleaning best practices.
2. Don’t Skip the Safety Checks
During harvest, minor problems can quickly turn into major issues that jeopardize the whole harvest schedule. Farmers must follow equipment maintenance and safety check schedules so that these problems don’t turn into catastrophes. This will not only prevent costly emergency repairs, but it will also ensure that the cotton can be harvested in a timely manner and the farmers’ bottom line won’t take a hit from the unexpected expenses.
Workers who don’t do routine checks on their cotton harvesting equipment can easily get hurt while working on the machine. They may fall between moving parts of a picker or underneath raised baskets, which can lead to crush injuries. They might also become electrocuted while repairing or cleaning the machinery, especially if they are doing it near power lines.
It is also important for workers to check the temperature of the machinery before beginning work. This will help avoid any fires that overheated engines and other components can cause. It is also a good idea to clean the harvester regularly to remove any debris from areas that can become hot, such as the engine compartment and other heat sources.
Another thing to keep in mind is that cotton lint can’t play well with wet machinery, which can cause it to jam up on spindles and other parts of the cotton harvesting machine. This is why farmers pay close attention to dew throughout harvest and prefer to start picking once the plant has dried out.
Finally, workers need to get plenty of rest before and during harvesting. This will reduce fatigue and make them more alert to potential problems with their equipment.
3. Be Prepared for a Fire
A fire can derail a harvest quickly. It can also destroy thousands of dollars of equipment and years of hard work. Fires can also put lives at risk, including those of the operators of the machinery involved. That’s why it’s important to be prepared to take quick action to snuff out any potential fire.
Before and during harvest, check the equipment for a buildup of combustible materials such as cotton lint, straw, plant parts, dust, and fuel vapors. In addition, make sure there is no loose or worn debris or frayed electrical wiring that could spark.
Also, keep an eye out for other hazards. These include crush injuries, such as those that can occur between moving modules or beneath raised picker baskets. Also, make sure workers are familiar with the location of fire extinguishers on the machine. And always remember to never refuel with the engine running.
Lastly, have a written safety program for all workers. This will help them identify hazards and ensure that they follow standard operating procedures regardless of their field. This could have helped in the case of the man who was killed when he tried to get a cotton module builder onto a trailer. His family has asked that anyone who works on this type of equipment receive first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation training.
It’s also a good idea to post 911 addresses and directions for field locations on buildings, equipment, or other easily accessible areas. This helps firefighters find the site and decreases response time. And, if you have GPS equipment on your harvester, use it when calling in an incident. That way, the fire department can be dispatched immediately and avoid delay in reaching an accident scene.
4. Wear a Helmet
Cotton harvesting equipment has numerous moving and rotating parts that can pose entanglement hazards for workers. It’s important to make sure that all equipment is properly maintained before beginning to work on it and that all guards and shields are in place when working on or around farm machinery.
Additionally, a worker’s clothing should be kept from moving and rotating machinery parts, especially when working on a cotton picker or a grain combine. This can prevent entanglements that can cause injury or even death.
Crush injuries occur when people are crushed between moving cotton picker parts or underneath raised picker baskets. Wearing a helmet can help reduce the risk of these injuries.
Fire is a risk any time a combine or a cotton picker is used to harvest crops. Dry materials such as plant parts, straw, and dust can be highly flammable and can create dangerous conditions when combined with heat from the engine and other equipment components. It is recommended that all harvesters be equipped with a fire extinguisher.
Each year, fires caused by combines and cotton pickers cost farmers across the country more than $20 million. Keeping the engine compartment, fuel tank, and other areas of equipment clean can greatly reduce fire risks.
It’s also important to stay away from power lines when operating machinery during the cotton harvesting season. This is to protect the safety of everyone involved in the harvest and to avoid inconvenient power outages for local residents and businesses. Essential Energy can install aerial markers on properties for a fee to help improve the visibility of powerlines and encourage workers to remain at least eight meters away from them.
5. Stay Away from Power Lines
Cotton harvesting equipment has many moving parts, and these pieces of machinery are “top-heavy.” They’re often parked on sloped ground and near electrical lines. The equipment must be inspected before each use, and any safety issues should be addressed right away.
A major reason for cotton field fires is the buildup of seed cotton, trash, and lint on the equipment. These materials can easily catch fire if they are exposed to a flame source, such as a light bulb or engine compartment.
It’s also important to stay away from power lines when working on farm machinery during the harvest. This can prevent electrocution. The Uzbek-German Forum monitored the 2015 and 2016 harvests by visiting hokimiats (regional and district administrations) and other locations where workers were gathered to be sent to the cotton fields and reviewing documentation, including orders from directors of enterprises requesting that their employees participate in the harvest, decrees issued by hokims ordering that school and other public institution workers be deployed to pick and weed, and ledgers tracking labor mobilization from institutions.
As Uzbeks work to harvest and weed their crops, they face significant risks of harassment, beatings, and even murder. These threats are real, and they have caused people to leave their homes for the harvest in search of a more secure job. These migrants, however, have found little relief. A survey conducted by Human Rights Watch in 2017 of 177 pickers and other people working on the cotton harvest demonstrated that many workers had difficulty finding a new job or had been fired after leaving their jobs for the season. In addition, most of those surveyed said they had been paid less than they were promised when they started their jobs.
