Hay Baler Accidents

Among the most hazardous equipment on a farm are hay balers.

A hay baler rakes, compacts, and cuts bundles of hay into bales that are moveable and manageable.

The bales can be silage, round, haylage, or rectangular in shape and size. Hay baler accidents, unfortunately, can vary in many forms:

Up to 2,000 pounds, a large round hay bale can weigh. This is a similar weight to a small passenger vehicle.

An individual can be suffocated or crushed easily by a bale upon the release from the equipment, or if it happens to be improperly stored.

At a rate per second of 4.4 feet, a baler can pull crops. Thus, if the baler doesn’t have appropriate guarding, an arm and hand of the operator can be sucked into the machine prior to the operator being able to react promptly.

The geometry and weight of the hay bale can result in tractor rollover under certain circumstances.

To avoid hay baler accidents, the equipment needs to be guarded properly, and designed well.

Appropriate warnings and instructions need to be offered by the manufacturer as well.

To make certain of the farm safety, and diminish any likelihood of an accident with a hay baler, the equipment must be designed properly, and secured fully for the unit with specific guarding.

Adequate instructions and suitable warnings, in addition, issued by manufacturer are required to make sure each farmer can work in an environment that is safe.

Training that is adequate must entail ensuring the farmer, into the baler, never feeds twine by hand.

The unit must be suitably well-maintained at the appropriate settings and speed during the harvest to prevent any issues.

Appropriate maintenance should entail replacing or repairing broken or worn parts, such as missing baler pickup tines, loose belts, or other components damaged which limit, into the bail chamber, feeding material.

Ensuring a safe work environment, however, is not solely the responsibility of the farmer.

Manufacturers are responsible to make certain that every baler sold is completely guarded on rear, front, and sides to prevent workers from getting in contact with lethal components during the operation of the equipment.

Many injuries while operating a hay baler are preventable when the equipment is designed to protect against hazards foreseeable.

The manufacturer, in addition, must design the unit with guarding, while the equipment is in use, that is not able to move.

When a sustained injury happens due to a defect in a component, or lack of suitable training, the victim may be able to recover damages from all parties held liable for injuries sustained.

For hay baler accidents, the compensation amount will essentially cover continuous expenses, which include time away from work, medical bills, suffering and pain, emotional trauma, and physical damages.

If you or a family member has sustained injuries in a baler accident, you may have entitlement to punitive and compensatory damages.

Contact us for a free consultation or call Anzalone Law Firm PLLC, at: 603.548.3797.