Farm safety and the effects of severe weather

Perhaps more than any other industry, farming is both dependent upon and at the mercy of the weather. This is true both on a day-to-day basis, and in terms of the seasons, and the effect they have on the nature of all types of agricultural work.

Because much of the farming industry carries out its work outdoors, much planning has to be done that take into account the different types and extremities of severe weather conditions.

Planning has to be done, because the work has to be done whatever the weather. The nature of farming all types of crops must be planted and harvested at particular times, irrespective of whether conditions.

All types of livestock need to be looked after and kept safe, both on a daily basis and any type of weather conditions. The difficulty of differing weather conditions can sometimes have implications in terms of performing the work safely. This is simply because people's focus tends to drift to the immediate issue at hand.

When looking at the effect of the weather, it is simpler in one sense to look at it in terms of summer and winter. This does not take into account the effect of global warming, but is more an historical understanding of the particular hazards and effects of both hot and cold weather.

Going forward, these principles will apply, but it may be that farmers and other agricultural producers need to modify and amend their planning procedures in order to be more responsive to unreal or what are thought of as an unnatural effects of the weather.

Traditionally, spring or early summer has been the time of year when crop production really comes into effect. It is also the time of year when high temperatures come into play, bringing with them highs of humidity, thunderstorms and lightning.

The summer months also traditionally involve long working days, as often a lot of this work can be done more effectively in daylight. This means that the impact of the weather is perhaps longer than it would otherwise be.

The health effects of summer weather can lead to staff sickness and illness, mainly in the areas of things such as heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heat stroke and dehydration.

These have a real impact on people, their ability to work, and subsequent loss of production of the farming activity they were involved in.

Lightning and tornadoes also a real problem in a number of geographical areas during the summer, and not effect the ability to work, but also pose a real threat to life.

It is really important that there is an awareness of the dangers of these types of weather conditions, and an effective plan put into place to deal with them.

Winter weather brings with it its own hazards. Shorter daylight hours, potential health hazards of things such as frostbite and hypothermia, as well as a more general reluctance to get out of bed at four o'clock in the morning to go and do necessary livestock work.

The other really important issue around winter weather concerns machinery. A lot of farming and agricultural work is dependent on factors, trucks, utv's etc. winter weather conditions both on farmland and on normal commercial roads have a significant impact on their functioning.

Tractors traditionally pull extremely heavy loads on different types of land, and in different types of conditions.

When the weather is better and cold, you can have a significant impact on the traction of tractors and other machinery.

This is true whatever load is being carried, but is especially true when transporting livestock, and great care should be taken to make sure this is done in a safe and secure manner.