Manufacturers of portable augers have a new set of guidelines from the Canadian Standards Association.
The safety standards address specific concerns, including areas around the auger intake and driveline. Statistics show augers are second only to tractors in their involvement in machinery-related injuries on the farm.
The new standard was developed by the CSA’s agricultural machinery technical committee. It allows for a retractable intake guard.
“What we’re finding is a lot of the current augers do have a good guarding system, but occasionally that guard interferes with operation. So it’s removed and many times it’s not replaced,” said Jim Wassermann, an engineer with the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute who worked on the committee.
The CSA standard for portable augers is available for purchase at shop.csa.ca, although Wasserman said it could be two years before producers see its influence in the market.
