ASABE Revises Field Equipment Safety Standard

The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) has completed a revision to one of its often-used safety standards, ANSI/ASAE S318.18, Safety for Agricultural Field Equipment.

The standard was revised to update the reference section and standard format. In addition, the revision incorporated guarding definitions, design requirements, and fabrication guidance contained in ANSI/ASAE S493.1, Guarding for Agricultural Equipment, which is in the process of being withdrawn. Finally, the revision incorporates provisions for operator presence control and over-speed requirements in power take-off systems.

ANSI/ASAE S318 is intended to provide a reasonable degree of personal safety for operators and other persons during the normal operation and servicing of agricultural field equipment.

ASABE members with standards access and those with site-license privileges can access the full-text via electronic download on the ASABE online Technical Library at elibrary.asabe.org. Others can obtain a copy for a fee directly from the library or by contacting ASABE headquarters at OrderStandard@asabe.org.