PrePlant & PreHarvest CabChart™ Programs

Background

The modern farm is a high-risk environment with the highest number of fatalities, 2nd highest rate of fatalities and the 3rd highest frequency of serious injury claims. Australian Bureau of Statistics data also shows that farmers are proportionally the oldest worker demographic, and farms are growing through consolidation. This means that older bodies are spending more time working, largely while sitting in machinery.

Risk factors for neck and back pain are;

  1. Older age
  2. Poor physical condition
  3. Physical stress (e.g. machinery vibration, lifting) and
  4. Psychological stress (e.g. anxiety, high-stress periods, long periods of work).

CabChart introductory video

 

In 2004, farmers represented 5% of the total workforce, yet accounted for fewer than 50% of fatalities in the workforce, including dangerous professions like police, mining & forestry. The vast majority of these fatalities were tractor-related accidents, according to Victorian WorkCover data.

 

Farmers, like other occupational groups, work in an environment of prolonged sitting. Farmers often cover between 5,000 and 15,000 acres during planting and harvest. Speeds can vary from 10 to 30 km/h, and paddock conditions can be very rough. The roughness is accentuated when towing any tillage or trailed equipment. Hours of work are usually 10-14 hours a day and continue for 4-6 weeks during planting and harvest

 

In addition to their prolonged seated positions, the seats are vibrating due to engine operation and ground topography.

"The balance of the evidence indicates that...heavy equipment used in mining, tractors, & combines...typically exposes their operators to vibration levels in excess of those recommended by ISO2631. “Epidemiological studies of the association between back disorders and vehicle operation jobs with vibration exposure show overwhelming evidence of a consistent and strong relationship, increases with increasing exposure, and is biologically plausible. The data suggest a causal link between back disorders and both driving occupation and whole-body vibration... Elevated risks are consistently observed after 5 years of exposure."^^

 

While sitting and working with tillage equipment, the driver is predominantly rotated to the right. While operating a harvester, the operator primarily leans forward, observing the drum beneath their feet.

"Sustained postures are also associated with back disorders... Experimental studies suggest that sitting and rotated postures serve to increase vibration transmission, suggesting the two factors may interact."^^

 

^^ April 14th, 1999 Whole Body Vibration and Back Disorders among Motor Vehicle Drivers and Heavy Equipment Operators: A review of the scientific evidence.

 

Your Ultimate Injury Prevention Program

To initiate a preventative injury program for farmers, two commonly heard provisos needed to be addressed: “I don’t know what I should be doing” and “I don’t have the time to do exercise!”

Currently, the ultimate program in managing musculoskeletal injuries on farms offered by Esperance Physiotherapy is a three-pronged approach.

1. Pre-Plant and Pre-Harvest assessments

2. The CabChart CabChart Planting decal + CabChart Harvest decal. Download the CabChart™ Order Form

3. Early Intervention Program.

Use the CabChart timeline to plan your injury prevention program

 

1. PrePlant & PreHarvest Assessments

Traffic light warning system for injury prevention

To measure is to understand. Knowledge leads to wisdom. Prevention is better than a cure.
 
Harvesting and planting are the most challenging times on a broad-acre farm. Operators work 12+ hours for weeks on end, skillfully piloting equipment worth $500K+, and mistakes are costly in lost time, injury $$ and production lost. While machinery manuals dictate regular machinery service intervals, there are no measures or guidelines to ensure optimal operator efficiencies. What are their limitations or weak points? Hence our PrePlant & PreHarvest Assessments!
 
Unique, these assessments are designed based on our experience treating farmers and conducting thousands of mining pre-employment assessments. These assessments measure all of the significant areas of the body that we see 'fail' under the rigours of planting and harvest. Think neck, lower back, knees, and shoulders. Sleep is critical for mental and physical recovery, so we also assess sleep quality and sleep posture in these programs and include screening questionnaires for anxiety, depression, and stress.
 
We provide participants with a PrePlant or PreHarvest report, highlighting the following key areas;
  1. Cardiovascular health
  2. Functional mobility
  3. Whole-body strength
  4. Sleep quality & posture
  5. Anxiety, depression and stress
Each key area is scored using a red/amber/green light to indicate how it compares with age- and gender-based normative data, when available.
Each report contains a list of recommendations, and if requested, we can develop an individualised recovery program to move the participant from red to amber to green.
 
Remember, while the human body is amazing, it isn't magic. If you want to make a change, it will take time, so don't put off your decision. Ideally, book your PrePlant or PreHarvest Assessment 8 -12 weeks before the start of the season. Ring 90715055 to make your booking.
 

2. CabChart™ Packages

After trialling more standardised means of injury prevention delivery, it was realised a unique approach was required and CabChart™ was developed (but not until after several other attempts). CabChart™ is dynamic, and as working conditions change, we make adjustments. The CabChart™ is now in a strip layout (horizontal for the harvest & vertical for the tractor) and includes an A4 explanation sheet. An explanatory video will also be available. Each CabChartTM package is available in brand-specific colours: yellow/green, yellow/blue, red/black, and orange/black.

CabChart, and effective injury prevention tool for farmers

CabChart™ is an adhesive decal applied to the cab window glass, featuring images that guide the operator through specific movements. A detailed description sheet accompanies the adhesive decal, featuring the same photographs with additional text explaining how to perform each exercise correctly, plus information on proper sitting posture and other important injury-prevention details.

CabChart™ package options are;

Planting (Tractor/SP Spraying Operations) and Harvest (Header Operations). Each program comes with its own set of exercises tailored to the limited range of postures encountered during these operations.

Performing regular exercises in the cab, sitting for hours on end, can help farmers alleviate symptoms such as stiff shoulders, achy calves, sore & stiff spines, and reduced mental concentration.

This system provides concise, professional information on injury prevention without putting greater demands on farmers' time. 

Both CabChart™ packages can be posted throughout Australia using Australia Post.

With CabChart™ installed in your machinery, regular exercising can be performed in the cab while operating tractors and headers. CabChart™ provides an easy answer to the challenge of;

“I don’t know what I should be doing?” and  “I don’t have the time to do exercises!”

 

Download the CabChart™ Order Form

 

3. Early Intervention Program

Injuries do happen, even with the best prevention strategies in place. The best approach is then to undertake a comprehensive assessment and commence treatment. Waiting for a GP appointment and commencing a workers' compensation claim can take several weeks and may not be necessary in many cases. Providing prompt, early treatment and reassurance has been shown to reduce overall injury duration and time away from work. Esperance Physiotherapy does provide early intervention programs for many key businesses in the Esperance Region. Contact our Clinic Director, Dr Doug Cary, if you would like further information.

Bespoke Solutions

The CabChart™ concept also led to a bespoke solution to solve ongoing neck pain complaints from crane operators at the Southern Ports - Esperance.

CabChart™ can be custom-printed with company logos, with a minimum order of 20 packages.

 

Need More Information?

Read about Media interest in the CabChartTM Program.

Contact Esperance Physiotherapy for the latest information about PrePlant,  PreHarvest or  CabChartTM.