Operating farm equipment and utilizing pesticides and other chemicals can put workers at risk. In order to maintain a safe operation, significant preparation and training is required. An important piece of this puzzle is the inclusion of identification tagging and labeling for equipment, machinery, and chemicals.
Applications
Hazard Identification
One of the most important ways to maintain safety within an agricultural setting is to properly label all chemicals.
Organizations must follow best practices when it comes to safety, and that includes identification of potential hazards.
Pesticides, fertilizers, and other dangerous substances can put workers at risk to their health. By ensuring these chemicals are used in the safe and correct procedures, the work environment will be infinitely safer.
Internal Inspections
Farming equipment is exposed to harsh environments, heavy workloads, and years of usage. In order to maintain a safe and effective operation, farming equipment must be inspected on a regular basis.
Periodic inspections of machines, tools, and equipment is vital for worker safety, as well as making sure that the equipment is working to its full capacity.
In order to track the status of inspections, many organization utilize tags. This can be as simple as a date of last inspection for a piece of equipment, or as complex as a constantly updated database using a barcode type tag.
Materials
Stainless Steel
Another commonly used material relied upon for marking purposes is stainless steel. This substrate provides the highest level of durability in a metal identification nameplate.
Similarly to anodized aluminum, stainless will also not corrode when exposed to harsh conditions.
Anodized Aluminum
Anodized aluminum is a popular material due to its lightweight but resilient nature.
In addition, the material can be adorned with a solid color. This provides the ability to sort via color coding. Color coding works great for quickly identifying various equipment types, or marking different chemicals with specific coloring.
Marking Processes
Photo Anodization
Photo anodization uses a special process to embed information beneath an anodic layer for high levels of scratch resistance and overall durability.
This process produces a black design on silver aluminum, without the potential for the design to be scraped or wear off from weather.
Photo anodized tags are rated for 20+ years outdoors, making this a viable option in farm settings, even with the exposure to mud, dirt, and weathering.
Unlike stamping or embossing, this process doesn’t require the production of a new stamp or die set for every new design. Every single plate or placard can include unique information or imaging.
Embossing/Stamping
The two most commonly used marking methods for this industry are embossing and stamping. The process for each is very similar, although they produce opposite results.
Embossing can be used to produce serialized number tags, perfect for this type of application. Each piece of equipment or tool can have its own identifying number which allows for quick and easy identification.
An embossed tag creates raised characters in the metal material, while stamping indents the design into the substrate.
Both of these options are incredibly durable, and can withstand decades of usage in an agricultural setting.
Wrap-Up
The number one consideration for any type of agricultural organization is safety. From planting to harvest and distribution, each step of the operation must be as safe as possible. By utilizing effective identification, workers will be in a much better safety situation.