Just as you manage your farm's finances, crops, livestock, machinery and soils, you should manage safety, says a North Dakota State University agricultural safety specialist.

"Well-managed farms and ranches have many types of management programs," says George Maher of the NDSU Extension Service. "And on the safer farms and ranches there is Safety Management."

He notes that few agricultural producers and workers take safety management seriously. "Very few even consider it as a part of their farming program. That's why we have as many farm accidents, injuries, and fatalities as we do in North Dakota and all across the nation. In most cases, safety isn't even considered as being manageable in the most dangerous industry in the nation -- agriculture," Maher says.

He says every farm and ranch needs a safety management program, just as it needs management programs for other concerns such as crops, livestock, machinery, soils, finance, and forages. "Simply agreeing that "we all need to be more careful and safety conscious" is not enough to make a farm or ranch safer. There needs to be a plan that is managed by a team -- a safety management team," Maher says.

The team should include everyone on the farm or ranch involved in production or management, and is directed by the head of the family or whoever makes the final decisions about other business matters. The team should meet at least twice every year, or before every busy season begins.

The meetings need to be scheduled so that everyone knows when they are to meet and can plan to attend.

"The primary business of the safety management team includes knowing of all the hazards on the farm or ranch and what can and should be done about them. New hazards need to be brought to everyone's attention and decisions need to be made in regard to how to eliminate those hazards," Maher says.

This team approach to safety puts farm families in a unique position.

"The adults and children of farm and ranch families live together and frequently work together in many seasons of the year. The farm or ranch is their home as well as their place of employment. Everyone depends on each other and, as members of the family; they care about each other. This places every family member in a unique position to serve as a valuable member on the farm or ranch safety management team." Information to use to help develop a safety plan is available from farm and ranch magazines, the Cooperative Extension Service, safety clinics, video tapes, the Internet, safety exhibits and demonstrations, and safety programs from organizations such as 4-H, FFA, farm organizations. Safety teams should attend safety activities together, take the information home and use it to help make their home a safer place to live and work.

"Managing safety can be done, but only if everyone agrees to work together to make their lives safer, Maher says.