source: Farm and Food Report
Bruce Osiowy has been a man on a mission since he lost his hand on June 5, 2003 near Abernathy when his fingers got caught in a rock picker. He finally freed himself, after 66 hours without food or water, by cutting off his fingers with a pocket knife.
Since then, he spends his time raising awareness about the dangers of working in isolation.
Reached by phone at his farm, as he was still figuring out how to prevent his artificial hand from accidentally cutting off the line, it became obvious how important a role farm safety issues now play in his life — especially this time of the year, as Ag Safety Week (March 9-15) draws near.
“I came back to the farm in 1988, and there have been many times — I realize now — I was risking serious injury when I lay under the cultivator. If the hydraulic rams had started to leak and by some freak accident a shank had come down on my knee, I might not have been hurt that badly, but I could have been stuck under there for quite some time.”
Sixty per cent of Canadian farmers work alone. According to a study by the Canadian Agricultural Injury Surveillance Program, tractors and other machinery cause three-quarters of farm-related injuries. On average, 115 people are killed and another 1,500 are seriously injured by farm-related accidents in Canada each year.
It is a reality Osiowy knows all too well. “You get used to sometimes not seeing another human being for two or three days at a time, especially if you farm alone. You don’t realize how dangerous your situation actually is when you work with heavy, powerful equipment.
“I will admit that, in the last 10 years, significant progress has been made in terms of posting safety warning labels and incorporating safety shields on equipment.”
But Osiowy feels that it is not enough. This is why he came up with his own personal rescue system: the LifeSaver.
“It basically consists of a small portable satellite dish 10 inches wide, that can be mounted on the agricultural equipment to be used with a three-way electrical plug. It contains one wire being your ground; one wire hooked-up to your 12-volt power source; and another wire going to your horn. The system includes a pendant carried by the operator, which is somewhat like a remote car starter one carries in a pocket. The system functions as a GPS transceiver which sends a signal to a satellite, which in turn communicates via modem with a commercial call centre in Calgary.”
Each pendant has its own identification number with the ability to bring up the user’s profile instantly on a computer screen, with the phone numbers to call in case of an emergency and a sequence of numbers to keep dialing until the call is answered.
“When someone answers, this person is informed that you are in a serious situation. It takes about two minutes before the call centre receives your emergency signal, after the user hits the appropriate button on the remote. But when the signal comes in at the call centre, so does an exact longitudinal and latitudinal fix of your location within four inches: just the type of information rescuers would need to find you.”
The system also comes with a mechanism that automatically honks the horn every two hours and requires the user to hit another button on the pendant to make it stop. In the event the user is unable to stop the horn, a signal is sent out which communicates to the call centre that the user has become unconscious.
“In Australia, the mandatory use of a device like this one is legislated,” says Osiowy. “It is just a matter of time before the same applies here. In the meantime, we need to change attitudes. Agriculture is putting incredible pressures on farmers to maximize profitability by seeding as early as possible and getting the job done in as little time as possible. I am not aware of any other work environment that inflicts so many pressures on people.”
Osiowy advises agricultural producers to take frequent breaks while at work, even if it means just getting out from behind the wheel and walking around the tractor every now and again. Most accidents are preventable, “and taking the time to familiarize yourself before using your equipment every spring is time well spent.”
For more information on Bruce Osiowy’s LifeSaver personal rescue system, visit: http://www.lifesavergps.com
For more information, contact:
Bruce Osiowy
LifeSaver GPS Systems Inc.
1-877-806-8482
http://www.lifesavergps.com
Bruce Osiowy has been a man on a mission since he lost his hand on June 5, 2003 near Abernathy when his fingers got caught in a rock picker. He finally freed himself, after 66 hours without food or water, by cutting off his fingers with a pocket knife.
Since then, he spends his time raising awareness about the dangers of working in isolation.
Reached by phone at his farm, as he was still figuring out how to prevent his artificial hand from accidentally cutting off the line, it became obvious how important a role farm safety issues now play in his life — especially this time of the year, as Ag Safety Week (March 9-15) draws near.
“I came back to the farm in 1988, and there have been many times — I realize now — I was risking serious injury when I lay under the cultivator. If the hydraulic rams had started to leak and by some freak accident a shank had come down on my knee, I might not have been hurt that badly, but I could have been stuck under there for quite some time.”
Sixty per cent of Canadian farmers work alone. According to a study by the Canadian Agricultural Injury Surveillance Program, tractors and other machinery cause three-quarters of farm-related injuries. On average, 115 people are killed and another 1,500 are seriously injured by farm-related accidents in Canada each year.
It is a reality Osiowy knows all too well. “You get used to sometimes not seeing another human being for two or three days at a time, especially if you farm alone. You don’t realize how dangerous your situation actually is when you work with heavy, powerful equipment.
“I will admit that, in the last 10 years, significant progress has been made in terms of posting safety warning labels and incorporating safety shields on equipment.”
But Osiowy feels that it is not enough. This is why he came up with his own personal rescue system: the LifeSaver.
“It basically consists of a small portable satellite dish 10 inches wide, that can be mounted on the agricultural equipment to be used with a three-way electrical plug. It contains one wire being your ground; one wire hooked-up to your 12-volt power source; and another wire going to your horn. The system includes a pendant carried by the operator, which is somewhat like a remote car starter one carries in a pocket. The system functions as a GPS transceiver which sends a signal to a satellite, which in turn communicates via modem with a commercial call centre in Calgary.”
Each pendant has its own identification number with the ability to bring up the user’s profile instantly on a computer screen, with the phone numbers to call in case of an emergency and a sequence of numbers to keep dialing until the call is answered.
“When someone answers, this person is informed that you are in a serious situation. It takes about two minutes before the call centre receives your emergency signal, after the user hits the appropriate button on the remote. But when the signal comes in at the call centre, so does an exact longitudinal and latitudinal fix of your location within four inches: just the type of information rescuers would need to find you.”
The system also comes with a mechanism that automatically honks the horn every two hours and requires the user to hit another button on the pendant to make it stop. In the event the user is unable to stop the horn, a signal is sent out which communicates to the call centre that the user has become unconscious.
“In Australia, the mandatory use of a device like this one is legislated,” says Osiowy. “It is just a matter of time before the same applies here. In the meantime, we need to change attitudes. Agriculture is putting incredible pressures on farmers to maximize profitability by seeding as early as possible and getting the job done in as little time as possible. I am not aware of any other work environment that inflicts so many pressures on people.”
Osiowy advises agricultural producers to take frequent breaks while at work, even if it means just getting out from behind the wheel and walking around the tractor every now and again. Most accidents are preventable, “and taking the time to familiarize yourself before using your equipment every spring is time well spent.”
For more information on Bruce Osiowy’s LifeSaver personal rescue system, visit: http://www.lifesavergps.com
For more information, contact:
Bruce Osiowy
LifeSaver GPS Systems Inc.
1-877-806-8482
http://www.lifesavergps.com
Comments
Farming should be performed with well trained expert.
I appreciate Bruce Osiowy on his job.
farm accidents