One of the largest threats for potential injury to farmers and workers is around farm machinery, especially any machinery that has what is called “pinch points”. A “pinch point” is an area where rotating parts move together with at least one of the parts rotating in a circular motion. These rotating parts can operate at a high rate of speed and have the potential to cause serious injury. Many pieces of farm equipment have pinch points. Chain drives, belt drives, gears, pulley drives, sprockets, and PTO shafts are very common on farms and all carry the potential for serious injury. Other examples of potential crush or pinch injury sites found on farm include: Truck and equipment doors, winches, conveyor belts, fans, augers, concrete blocks, tractor rollovers, ATVs, and unsecured materials.
