Some farm machines, such as combines and feed rollers, have rotating parts. Where these parts are close together, they form pull-in points, or points that can catch and quickly draw fabric, body parts, or other items into contact with machinery. Pull-in point hazards are commonly associated with crops being fed into machinery. A pull-in point incident can be very serious because a person can sustain injuries such as amputation, crushed tissue, and broken bones—these incidents can even be fatal.
Avoid a pull-in point incident by always shutting off the tractor or other power source before clearing any plug or jam from equipment or completing any repairs.
To learn more about pull-in points, click here to link to the article “Mechanical Hazards: Pull-in Points.”
A pull-in point hazard is typically associated with crops being fed into a harvesting machine. Harvesting machinery has rotating parts, such as feed rolls, that form pull-in points where they come together. Most pull-in incidents occur when a person attempts to remove material from a machine while the machine is still running—for example, pulling a corn stalk out of corn picker rolls—or to feed material manually into a machine such as a feed roller.
The following pieces of equipment have pull-in points:
Combine headers
Feed or bale chambers
Pull-behind corn pickers
Windrow pickups
Forage chopper headers
Grinders
Potential Injuries
Potential injuries that can result from getting caught in a pull-in point include amputation of extremities, crushed tissue, and broken bones. Severe incidents can be fatal.
Safety Precautions
The list below outlines ways of reducing the risk of pull-in point incidents.
Identify machines that may have pull-in points.
Always shut off the engine and power source, including any power take-off (PTO), before attempting to clear any plugged areas or completing any repairs.
Remember that machines are always faster than people.
Resources
View video about pull-in point hazards from Pennsylvania State University’s Agricultural Safety and Health Program.
