Farm Safety 31 Dec

By Author: peter main
Total Articles: 223
Comment this article

The term housekeeping, when applied to farming and agricultural operations does carry some sense of what it means in the hospitality industry, and in general domestic and commercial service.

Housekeeping is a word that prefers really to all areas of a operation being kept in good order, being kept clean and being kept safe.

On a farm or agricultural operation, there are a number of different areas that need to be kept continually safe and clean, both the good running of the business itself, but also for the safety of the employees and of the family who own or run a company.

Farms traditionally revolve around agricultural machinery, mainly tractors, combine harvesters, utility vehicles, as well as a number of different cars and trucks.

Depending upon the nature of the work at the farm is involved in, there may well be different chemicals, different pieces of machinery and different tools all of which could pose a potential hazard.

Housekeeping is are keeping all of these areas safe, on a continual basis ...
... and making sure that anyone involved in any area of this work has an attitude that these areas are important and need to be kept free from any risk or danger to any individual, whether an employee, a member of the family or a member of the public who may be on the farm for different reasons.

Any area that is considered a work area, whether it includes machinery or livestock or anything else, needs to be designated as a potential risk zone, and such strict housekeeping protocols need to be in place in order to safeguard the well-being of everyone who may on any occasion be there.

Housekeeping practices include the need to recognise appropriate storage, how any materials or equipment that are kept in this area are used and also how any mistakes or spillages or damage machinery are cleaned up or dealt with for repair.

Where good housekeeping practices are protocols are not in place it creates a potential hazard. Housekeeping is a preventative measure, and is about attitude and practice.

Encouraging people to keep an area clean is a prerequisite of most good housekeeping protocols. This can include informal picking up of rubbish or debris that may be lying around, as well as a more formal cleaning protocol with certain people designated to make sure that all areas are kept clean on a regular basis.

Storage is crucially important, both at a practical level and also has an attitude of good housekeeping practice. The old expression a tidy mind applies very much to this area. If an area looks unkempt, it is likely that there are a number of practices that could be considered unsafe or sloppy, which could ultimately lead to more hazards and risks.

Housekeeping is primarily about preventing injury. Health and safety has become a term that many people either slightly ridicule, or think it's just an excuse to be risk averse. It is in fact quite the opposite. It is about understanding the nature of risk in order to evaluate the acceptability of a risk, and take whatever precautions may be necessary.