Spraying off
If the previous crop is to be sprayed off using glyphosate or similar product, the sprayer operator must be a registered pesticide user and the sprayer being used must have passed the sprayer test. Correct personal protective equipment must be worn at all times when working with these dangerous chemicals.
Primary cultivations
Whether the area being reseeded is being ploughed or disked after the spray has done its job, the heavy machines involved come with their own dangers. One of the major dangers of cultivation equipment is that by their nature the wearing parts can and do become very sharp as they wear. While working in and around ploughs and other heavy cultivation equipment, care should be taken not to come into contact with any sharp objects.
Maintenance
When parts of the cultivator become too worn to be useful they need to be changed. In the case of large grubbers and disk harrows, this may require the operator to be underneath the machine. If this is necessary, then the piece of equipment needs to be propped correctly and securely so that it cannot drop on to the operator and cause serious injury or death. Correctly manufactured props should be used.
Secondary cultivations
Depending on the method of reseeding used there may be a PTO-driven machine involved. Whenever there is a PTO-driven implement being used, extra care needs to be taken. The correct guards need to be in place.
Picking stones
This may seem like a very straightforward safe task but great care should be taken when lifting larger stones. Where possible, mechanical help should be used in order to lessen the risk of back injury. Where manual lifting is required, the correct procedure should be used.
Fertiliser spreading
Whether it is the loading of 50kg bags of fertiliser into the spreader or the loading of grass seeds into the hopper, care should be taken when lifting the bags. Grass seed comes in lighter bags but the positioning of the seed hopper on top of cultivators means care is still required due to the height required. If 50kg bags of fertiliser are being used, two people should lift them into the machine. Any mechanical assistance that is available should be used.
Aftercare
If the ground that has been reseeded is hilly, care should be taken when rolling as the weight of the roller could push the tractor down or across the hill and may cause the operator to lose control. If a herbicide is being used post-sowing to control weeds in a newly sown grass crop, only a qualified pesticide user using the correct equipment should be used.
Focus: reseeding and feed options
