Tips for reporting near misses and accidents on the farm

COLUMBIA, Mo. – When things go bad on the farm during harvest, it is important to act quickly and report later, says University of Missouri Extension health and safety specialist Karen Funkenbusch.

During National Farm Safety and Health Week, Sept. 15-21, Funkenbusch brought attention to reporting methods. Learn more at https://www.necasag.org/NationalFarmSafetyandHealthWeek.

The U.S. Department of Labor reports that most serious injuries on the farm happen when someone falls from equipment, grain bins, ladders, mowers or farm buildings.

According to the Farm Injury Resource Center, many farm accidents are due to tractor rollovers or machinery mishaps, including collisions and power take-off devices, says Funkenbusch. Most fatalities occur among those under five years of age. Most accident victims are male. But many accidents are preventable with the right equipment and training, she says.

Whatever the cause, employers must notify the Occupational Safety and Health Administration when an employee dies on the job or suffers a work-related hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye. These type of accidents will trigger an OSHA investigation.

Fatalities must be reported within eight hours; other hospitalizations and serious injuries must be reported within 24 hours. You should call the nearest OSHA office or the OSHA 24-hour hotline at 1-800-321-OSHA (6742).

Failing to report an accident can result in delayed treatment of the injured party. It can also bring about serious legal consequences such as lawsuits, fines and, in rare cases, imprisonment.

Funkenbusch says it is important to create an environment where workers do not fear losing their jobs or wages by reporting accidents. Encourage and support a safe work environment with open discussions and routine safety protocols, she says.

OSHA also encourages reporting of “Near Miss” incidents, says Funkenbusch. A Near Miss incident is one in which there is no injury, but an injury easily could have occurred and may be likely to happen in the future.

Near Miss reporting helps create a culture to identify, control and prevent hazards on the farm.

Additional OSHA resources

To assist employers and workers in conducting effective incident investigations and to develop corrective action plans, the following resources can help:

• “Root Cause: The Importance of Root Cause Analysis During Incident Investigation” (2016), https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3895.pdf
• “Incident [Accident] Investigations: A Guide for Employers” (2015), https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/IncInvGuide4Empl_Dec2015.pdf
• “How To Conduct an Incident Investigation” (2014), https://nsccdn.azureedge.net/nsc.org/media/site-media/docs/workplace/how-to-conduct-an-incident-investigation.pdf