Safety Awareness: Part 1
Recognizing state of rushing, frustration, fatigue and/or complacency is the first step to avoiding critical errors that can lead to injuries.
Workplace and worker safety was the focus of the 2013 Michigan Safety Conference in Grand Rapids, Mich. Employers are required to provide a safe and healthful workplace to employees. Recent statistics show that employees are less likely to be injured at the workplace as compared to being injured at home, in their car or in public spaces.
Minimizing hazards in the workplace is obviously an area where employers can have the most control. Employers who want a stable workforce and are concerned about worker safety are turning to safety programs that address safety 24/7 — not just in the workplace. This year’s keynote speaker at the Michigan Safety Conference, Don Wilson of SafeStart, spoke about 24/7 safety awareness and the safety skills that business owners and employees can develop to reduce the likelihood of injury wherever they are.
According to Wilson, there are four states that we can find ourselves in, and these states can cause or contribute to four critical errors, which can then lead to an increased risk of injury. The four states are rushing, frustration, fatigue and complacency. Read more.
Bryce Schumann
Association Perspective
The new age.
The last five years have served up their share of challenges — and, more importantly, opportunities — for the Angus breed.
Much of the nation has been gripped by one of the worst droughts in memory. We’ve watched feed prices rise to historically high levels, challenging our ability to maintain viable businesses. Economic uncertainty has undercut consumer confidence.
As we’ve learned in recent times, the Angus breed is not immune from genetic conditions. No breed is. No breed ever will be. In fact, all breeds have faced — or will face — issues of genetic risk. How we manage that risk — in the same way we manage drought, long winter or economic uncertainty — is ultimately what matters most and will strengthen the Angus breed for years to come. Read more.
Outlook for Grain Market to be
Powered by Livestock, Export Demand
Extension economists explore the outlook for farm commodities.
Future demand for grain in both the export market and U.S. livestock feeding sector should give farmers profitable opportunities in the years ahead, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service economist. A special AgriLife Extension outlook program was hosted by the department of agricultural economics at Texas A&M prior to the Texas A&M-Alabama football game. AgriLife Extension economists provided updates on several ag commodities.
David Anderson, livestock economist at College Station, said the U.S. beef cattle industry is set for a slow rebuilding process since drought has further delayed herd rebuilding. However, beef consumption and strong export demand signal a continuation of strong beef cattle prices ahead. Read more.
Pacific Temperatures Forecast Average Winter
The Midwest should see a drier fall and an average winter, according to a climate scientist at the University of Missouri.
Tony Lupo, chair of the Department of Soil, Environmental and Atmospheric Science at the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources of the University of Missouri (MU), expects a weak La Niña period to persist through the autumn. This fall pattern will tend to steer storms following the jet stream west and north of the Midwest. A predicted shift later this year to a more neutral La Niña-El Niño pattern will bring the winter jet stream to a more typical route, giving the Midwest an average winter. Read more.
Safety Awareness — Part 2: Critical Errors
Rushing, frustration, fatigue and complacency can lead to critical errors of eyes not being on task, mind not being on task, placing one’s self in the line-of-fire, and losses of balance/traction/grip.
In the first article of this three-part series, we covered the “states” we find ourselves in that can often lead to injuries — rushing, frustration, fatigue and complacency. These states can lead us to make critical errors, wherever we are, Don Wilson of SafeStart told those attending the Michigan Safety Conference in Grand Rapids, Mich. Speaking on 24/7 safety awareness, he shared four critical errors that can result from these “states” — eyes not on task, mind not on task, line-of-fire, and balance/traction/grip. Read more.
Safety Awareness — Part 3:
Critical Error Reduction Techniques
Learn the skills that can reduce the likelihood of having an accident.
Rushing, frustration, fatigue and complacency can lead to critical errors of eyes not on task, mind not on task, line-of-fire and balance/traction/grip, said Don Wilson of SafeStart, as he addressed the Michigan Safety Conference. Wilson encouraged business owners and employers to not accept that accidents “just happen,” encouraging them to develop safety skills just like they develop work skills or life skills. Read more.
What’s Inside …
In this September edition of the Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA, you'll find valuable articles devoted to the management, marketing, and health and nutrition of your beef enterprise. Select from the tabs at the top of the page to access this month's entire offering by category. A few select features include:
- Shade for Hot-weather Calving
- Current Uses of Gender-selected Semen
- Keep Reseeding
- Preventing Respiratory Acidosis in Newborn Calves
- 2013 Harvest Analysis Detects Mycotoxin Threat
- Planted Acreage & Record Meat Prices
- Selling Grass-finished Freezer Beef
News Briefs …
The American Angus Association and its subsidiaries generate a wealth of information to keep members and affiliates informed of what's happening within the industry as well as with the programs and services they offer. Click here for easy access to the newsrooms of the American Angus Association and Certified Angus Beef LLC and the Angus Journal Daily archive recently made available in the Angus Journal Virtual Library.
Iowa CAFO Workplan Established
Agreement reached to improve Iowa’s concentrated animal feeding operations permit and compliance program.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reached an agreement with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) to make changes to Iowa’s Clean Water Act (CWA) permit and compliance program for concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). The agreement includes specific actions the IDNR intends to take to remedy the program and a timeline for implementation of those actions to ensure clean, healthy water.
“Working with states to safeguard Midwestern waters is among EPA’s highest priorities,” said Karl Brooks, EPA regional administrator. “This agreement, developed after extensive public and industry input, commits the IDNR to making needed and achievable improvements to the system that keeps CAFOs compliant with the CWA. Iowans who operate a world-class livestock sector will continue to thrive in a first-rate permitting and inspection program.” Read more.
Make Farming with Arthritis Easier
Modifying tasks and equipment won’t reverse joint damage, but they can help prevent further damage.
Arthritis, one of the most common chronic disease conditions in the United States, has a profound impact on farmers by reducing mobility, physical strength and the ability to complete routine tasks. Farming with arthritis means daily changes in joint pain and mobility, which can affect completion of even the most basic farm chores.
During Kansas Farm Safety and Health Week, Sept. 15-21, Kerri Ebert, coordinator of the Kansas AgrAbility Project, reminds farmers to focus on their health and safety.
Arthritis diagnosis, treatment and care should be directed by health care professionals, Ebert said, but simplifying chores and using assistive solutions can help reduce joint stress. Kansas AgrAbility helps farmers identify and prioritize chore and equipment modifications to safely accommodate arthritis. Read more.
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