Abstract
Production agriculture consistently ranks as one of the most dangerous U.S. industries. As a result, significantresearch has been devoted to reducing the number of agricultural injuries and deaths. This study involved the design andtesting of a safety sensor system using off-the-shelf security sensors to detect people in the power take-off (PTO) hazard areabetween a self-unloading forage wagon and a tractor. A total of 288 tests with four different sensor technologies exploredthe reliability of human presence security sensors for operator detection. Test data were statistically analyzed to determinehow the sensor technology, approach angle, and mounting height affected the distance of a person from the hazard at the timeof detection. After sensor tests were completed, a working prototype shut-off system was created to disengage the PTO of atractor if a person entered the PTO hazard area, causing the PTO to stop rotating. The shut-off system also sounded an audiblealarm and initiated flashing of a strobe light after detection, signaling that a person had entered into the PTO hazard area.
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