Skid loaders became a tremendous tool for farmers when they were introduced to the marketplace, and now you’d be hard-pressed to find a dairy farm that doesn’t use at least one. However, they also come with unique safety concerns, which Dan Neenan addressed in an Agri-Safe webinar held during National Farm Safety and Health Week.
Neenan is the director of the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety and an EMT and firefighter. People can and do get injured or killed by skid loader incidents, he noted. There are dozens of injuries and deaths reported each year, and many more go unreported.
Skid loaders are inherently unstable because of their narrow, short wheelbase, he said. This can lead to rollovers and tipping, particularly when carrying a heavy load. They also have significant blind spots, which poses a risk to other people — such as children — who may be around the machine. And because skid loaders use hydraulics, there are potential pinch points as well as crush points that could cause damage to someone driving or working on it.
“Don’t learn safety by accident,” Neenan said. Many “accidents” are preventable, and it is up to a farm owner to read and understand the machine’s owner’s manual to recognize and mitigate risks and be sure any employees do the same.
Begin by safely entering the machine; Neenan recommended having three points of contact with the skid loader when getting in and out to prevent slips. This is particularly important to practice in conditions of snow, oil, and grease, and for older farmers.
Early skid loaders did not have cabs, Neenan shared, but today, those structures provide crucial protection against risks like rollovers and loads rolling back. Do not alter machines to remove the cab. If the manufacturer put in a safety measure, there is a good reason for it, he advised. Additionally, always take the 10 seconds to fasten both the seatbelt and lap bar. “You need to use both,” Neenan said.
One seat means one passenger — do not bring children into a skid loader cab, he emphasized. Bumps in the terrain can cause a passenger to fall between the machine and the bucket and become pinned. For the same reasons, he said no one should ride in a skid loader bucket.
A skid loader’s narrow wheelbase makes them unstable, so always carry a load as close to the ground as possible. This is especially true when navigating a hill. In those scenarios, keep the heavy side of the machine facing up the hill. “That means you occasionally have to back up to traverse a hill,” Neenan said of having an empty load. Do not drive sideways on a hill.
Skid loaders have significant blind spots because of their design, so Neenan advised keeping small children out of the area when a machine is in use and having bystanders remain a safe distance away. If you are the operator, know your field of vision, and if you are a bystander, don’t approach the machine until you make eye contact with the operator.
Moving and maintenance
Neenan also highlighted the importance of taking proper measures when working on a skid loader. People die and are seriously injured from having skid loader implements fall and crush them during maintenance, he recognized.
If you are working on a skid loader, remove the bucket before raising the boom. Then, lower and lock the safety lock. In some models, the operator can do this from inside the cab, which is far safer, Neenan said. Make sure all employees know what kind of safety switch your machines have and how to use it.
Additionally, Neenan noted the need for proper restraint when moving heavy skid loaders on a trailer. Consider the distribution of that weight, putting the bulk of it close to the truck or on the wheel wells of the trailer. Otherwise, the trailer could be hard to control and cause damage for other drivers around you.
