National Farm Safety and Health Week: Safety today, success tomorrow
By prioritizing safety and health, you protect yourself and those around you, reduce downtime, and ensure your operation runs smoothly.
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Farming is one of America’s noisiest jobs, yet many workers are unaware of the lasting hearing damage it can cause. Daily exposure to loud machinery and livestock operations can lead to permanent damage and trigger noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL).
Farm workers face prolonged noise exposure without mandated breaks or hearing protection. Unlike factory workers, there aren’t specific regulations from Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regarding occupation noise exposure (29 CFR, 1910.95).
Noise sources
Some examples of hazardous noise in farming are:
- Grain dryers
- Tractors
- Combines
- Livestock
- Chainsaws
- Firearms
Grain handling equipment like augers, elevators, and dryers can reach 110 decibels, with enclosed facilities amplifying noise. Diesel-powered machinery—especially older tractors and combines—exposes workers to prolonged high-decibel noise. Animal operations also have noise exposure risk. Maintenance tasks like welding, grinding, and chainsaw use generate intense bursts of sound, especially indoors. Combined exposure to noise and ototoxic chemicals, chemicals shown to cause hearing loss, such as herbicides and pesticides can worsen hearing loss. Elevated noise levels also increase the risk of hearing injury and stress.
Maintenance/Engineering controls
Regular maintenance schedules help keep equipment running quietly.
Consider noise levels when buying equipment – many manufacturers now design for quieter operation.
Schedule loud tasks during low-exposure periods and rotate workers to reduce individual noise exposure.
Additional controls/Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Assess noise levels throughout your property, identifying the loudest areas and activities.
Provide appropriate hearing protection for each type of work and provide training to all staff.
Make hearing protection available to all employees including foam earplugs, earmuffs, and molded earplugs.
Check the noise reduction rating (NRR) of your selected hearing protection. NRR is a rating method to determine how much the overall noise level is reduced by the hearing protection device. The higher the NRR, the better it will protect you if you wear hearing protection correctly. There are many documents and videos showing you how to use hearing protection correctly.
The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) Office of Safety Services is here to help, offering resources as a part of your BWC Policy. Our industrial hygienists, safety consultants, and ergonomists can visit your farm, help spot risks, and suggest improvements that make a real difference.
Reach out today to request a consultation or learn more at bwc.ohio.gov. Let’s work together to keep Ohio’s farm workers safe, healthy, and thriving.
My first recommendation in your journey is to start out with a local farming friend or mentor along with joining an organization like Ohio Farm Bureau.
We’re just so thankful for the Farm Bureau and the foundation for helping put this together. And of course, the Boyert family for the vision they had with this grant. It’s jumping us forward 10 years. It’s unbelievable.
I could not have done it without the resources I have found through Farm Bureau.
It wasn’t until I joined the Wilmington College Collegiate Farm Bureau that I truly saw how my passion could translate into leadership, advocacy and a career.
The issue of property taxation remains as one of the biggest challenges our members face today. Ensuring agricultural property is valued for its agricultural potential and not development is critical to the continued success of Ohio agriculture.
Through the Select Partner program, we became educated in farm insurance and weren't just selling policies. It became more and more clear why farmers need an advocate like Ohio Farm Bureau.
So many of the issues that OFBF and its members are advocating for are important to all Ohioans. I look at OFBF as an agricultural watchdog advocating for farmers and rural communities across Ohio.
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