SAFETY MISSION
Program aims to spread the word and reduce the dangers of farming. BY CELESTE BAUMGARTNER
W
hile watching RFD-TV one night, Russ Beckner saw a segment that showed a California mom driving a tractor around with her two young kids in the tractor bucket.
included safety monitoring in construction and manufacturing.
Appalled, Beckner called the network and explained why they should never show such actions — if the tractor were to hit a bump, he told them, the kids could fall out and be injured or killed.
When he retired from P&G, that safety mindset carried over as he started helping his son, Jason, on Jason’s farm. People tend to associate farms with peaceful fields, fresh air, and contented cows, but as all farmers know, agriculture can be a dangerous way to make a living — and a farm is a dangerous place to live.
Beckner, a member of Butler Rural Electric Cooperative, has worked on safety issues for more than 60 years. When he was a Boy Scout, he taught new Scouts how to safely use a pocketknife. During his career at Procter & Gamble, his responsibilities
Between eight and 12 people, on average, are killed on farms every year in Ohio. Thousands more sustain injuries. “I became aware of farm injuries locally, statewide, and nationally, and I thought we could make a difference,” Russ says.
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