March 15-21, 2015 marks Canadian Agricultural Safety Week presented by Farm Credit Canada. The purpose of this campaign is to educate and empower producers and their families on the importance of practising safe agriculture. According to the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) every year Canada mourns the loss of about 100 adults and 12 children due to agricultural fatalities. CASA’s role is to mend the gap between how safe farmers believe they behave and what is actually occurring.
Here are 5 steps to prevent injuries (courtesy of Workplace Safety and Prevention Services)
1. Recognize the hazards. Agricultural operations involve a lot of moving parts to get the job done. This includes machinery, related equipment, moving vehicles etc. Identifying, assessing and managing hazards will help prevent injuries, and protect your operation from disruption and loss.
2. Maintain, operate and repair equipment properly and safely. Follow manufactures specifications, keep everything in prime running order, use proper safety equipment and make sure everyone is up to date on training.
3. Ensure supervisors and workers have the expertise and skills needed to do their jobs. Under the act, supervisors are responsible for
- Ensuring a safe workplace and assigning safe work
- Providing training and information
- Supervising workers
4. Use the right equipment for the job. Machines are carefully engineered to eliminate hazards related to tipping, rolling, over falling etc. Employers who “jerry-rig” the equipment are exposing their workers to hazards and compromise the integrity of the equipment.
5. If you have to change the design of a hopper or any other piece of farm machinery, involve an engineer in both the design and installation. Equipment design changes fall within the practice of professional engineering. In Ontario, section 12(1) of the Professional Engineers Act requires that this work be done by a holder of a licence, a temporary licence or a limited licence. Under section 12(3) (b) of the act, this work may also be done by an unlicensed individual who has a licence holder assume responsibility for the engineering work.
For more information check out the resources below!Canadian Agricultural Safety Association