AE-148

November 1992

Safety for Agricultural Equipment: ASAE Standard S318.101

William J. Becker and Tracy A. Wood2

AUTHORS COMMENT

The American Society of Agricultural Engineering (ASAE) has developed a series of voluntary safety standards.
These are not laws but recommendations for the design, manufacture and use of agricultural machinery, equipment and
systems. These standards are frequently considered in legal situations when a determination needs to be made if a
recognized safety standard has been violated.

A complete copy of this standard is available from the American Society of Agricultural Engineering, Order
Department, 2950 Niles Road, St. Joseph, MI 49085-9659. Telephone: 616-429-0300; FAX: 616-429-3852.

INTRODUCTION augers and storage structures that may be specifically

This document is a condensation of ASAE
Standard S318.10 which provides safety information
for the normal operation and service of agricultural
equipment.
This document is not intended to be totally
inclusive, but rather to highlight the information and
requirements that should be understood by owners
and managers of agricultural businesses.
PURPOSE AND SCOPE
The purpose of this standard is to provide a
personal safety guide for operators and others during
the normal operation and service of agricultural
equipment. However, this standard does not apply to
skid steer loaders, permanently installed grain dryers,
and other farmstead equipment such as portable grain
covered by other safety standards.
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS FOR OPERATORS
Operator manuals should be supplied with each
piece of equipment. However, these manuals are
useless if the operator is not required to read them.
In addition to manuals, all operator controls should
be identified, along with their location and
movements. Also, agricultural tractors should be
equipped with a device that assures the power take-
off (PTO) and auxiliary PTO are disengaged when the
engine is being started. Likewise, the tractor should
be equipped with an interlocking device so the engine
cannot be started unless the transmission is in neutral.
All equipment must have steps and handholds
that make it easy for the operator to get on or off,
even when other equipment is mounted on the

1. This document, AE-148, was published November 1992 by the Florida Cooperative Extension Service. For more information contact your
county Cooperative Extension Service office.
2. Professor and Extension Safety Specialist, Student, respectively, Agricultural Engineering Department, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute
of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS), University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer authorized to provide research, educational
information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function without regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap, or national
origin. For information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension Service office.
Florida Cooperative Extension Service / Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences / University of Florida / John T. Woeste, Dean
Safety for Agricultural Equipment: ASAE Standard S318.10
tractor. It is also important to have hand and guard
rails to prevent the operator from falling while the
equipment is operational. In addition, equipment
with a working platform or walkway should have
guard rails with a top rail approximately three feet
above the working platform or walkway, and another
rail about midway between the platform and the top
rail.
The step requirements for an operating area are:
The height of the first step should not be more
than 27 inches from the ground, preferably less.
The distance between steps should be about 12
inches, but no more than 16 inches.
The steps should be at least ten-inches wide.
All steps and the operator platform should have
a slip-resistant surface. They should be kept free
of oil, grease, mud and other debris.
There should be shielding behind steps or ladders
where hands and feet could come in contact with
a moving-part hazard. There should be no sharp
edges or corners in the operators station to
minimize the potential of injury to the operator.
ENCLOSED OPERATING AREA
Cabs for self-propelled field equipment should
have an emergency exit in addition to the primary
door. The emergency exit must be at least 24 inches
by 14.2 inches. This exit can be a door, an easily
removable window, or a roof panel.
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS FOR
AGRICULTURAL EQUIPMENT
The Power Take-Off (PTO) shields, Implement
Input Driveline (IID) guards, Implement Input
Connection (IIC) guards, and Auxiliary Power Take-
Off (Aux. PTO) shield are all integral parts of the
guarding requirements for agricultural equipment.
All tractor PTO shafts should be equipped with a
master shield. It is recommended that the master
shield be movable without having to be detached from
the tractor to more easily connect, disconnect and
service the PTO shaft. This movable part of the
shield should also be secure enough to resist any
unintentional movement when it is in the operating
position.
Page 2
The tractor PTO master shield, the PTO IID
shaft guards, and the IIC shield combine to make an
interactive guard system that should meet the
following requirements.
The IID shaft should be guarded so that the
driving parts can rotate within the guard and
should include telescoping provisions when
needed.
The PTO IID shaft should be provided with a
freely rotating shield from the tractor to the
implement in such a manner as to provide
maximum protection to the operator.
All rotating parts should be free of any positively
driven protrusions that are in the direction of
rotation.
A safety sign stating that the normal PTO speed
and that all the PTO shielding must be kept in
place should be displayed in a visible place on the
implement.
All PTO driven equipment designed to operate in
a stationary position should have some means to
prevent separation of the IID.
TRACTOR ROLL-OVER PROTECTION
Tractor roll-over protection should be provided
for all wheeled agricultural equipment. The roll-
over protection should meet Roll-Over Protection
Structures (ROPS) safety standards.
Batteries, fuel tanks, oil reservoirs, and coolant
systems should be properly covered and sealed to
reduce spillage should the tractor overturn.
LIFTED UNITS
Lifted units on implements or self-propelled
machines, such as harvesting heads on combines,
folding wings on tillage or mowing equipment,
etc., shall be equipped with devices to securely
lock lifted components in the raised position.
The operators manual should include instructions
on securely supporting or blocking units which
must be raised and locked for servicing or
adjustment.
Towed equipment with a tongue (single-point
hitch) imposing a downward force on the hitch
Safety for Agricultural Equipment: ASAE Standard S318.10
point of more than 55 pounds at a height of 16
inches on the drawbar should have a mechanism
for hitching the towed equipment to the drawbar
without manual lifting.
TRAVEL ON HIGHWAYS
All lighting and marking on equipment shall
conform to ASAE Standard S279, "Lighting and
Marking of Agricultural Field Equipment on
Highways." See ASAE Standard S279 on this
CD-ROM.
All tractors and tractor-like equipment with a cab
should have at least one rearview mirror.
Hitching devices should have a retainer to prevent
accidental unhitching.
Components of implements raised or retracted to
decrease their width on the highway must be in a
securely locked position.
Implements towed on the highway with a single
hitch pin to the tractors drawbar should use
auxiliary attaching systems; i.e., tow chains. See
ANSI/ASAE S338, "Safety Chain for Towed
Equipment" on this CD-ROM.
For towed equipment not equipped with brakes
on the highway, the following standard has been
adopted. (See Table 1)
Page 3
Table 1. Weight / Road Speed Ratios
Weight of fully equipped or
loaded implement(s) relative to
Road Speed weight of the towing vehicle
20 mph 1 to 1 or less
10 mph 2 to 1 or less
Do not tow More than 2 to 1
SAFETY SIGNS
Safety signs should be displayed when there is a
risk of injury to the operator or others while the
equipment is being operated or serviced.
Instructional signs related to equipment servicing
or care should use signal words such as NOTICE
or IMPORTANT. These signs should have an
appearance different from safety signs and not
use the safety-alert symbols.
Safety signs shall conform to ASAE Standard
S441, "Safety Signs" which is also included on this
CD-ROM.