SPRINGFIELD – Farm Safety Week is going on this week in Illinois.
Farming is one of the most dangerous employment sectors in the U.S. economy. Every year the farming profession sees over 500 fatalities nationwide.
Most of these deaths are caused by tractor accidents, but accidents such as grain bin cave-ins cause a large number of injuries and deaths as well.
Farmers work with pesticides and other chemicals, in large fields and in confined spaces, with dangerous equipment and large animals, and they do so in every kind of weather condition Illinois has to offer. That is why safety is so important.
But farm safety extends beyond farmers. It also includes members of the public who share the road with farm vehicles.
These slow-moving vehicles often have limited visibility, so motorists need to exercise extra caution when approaching or passing one.
State Representative Paul Jacobs operated a winery for many years and was in small fruit farming. During Farm Safety Week, Rep. Jacobs wants to point out that there are other things to watch out for besides the big combines.
