F
F
ARSHA fills serious need
arm Safety
V
av
a
a
r
i
i
l
e
a
t
b
y
l

e
o

f
t

o
p

r
h
o
e
grams and services
risk of injury a
l
n
p
d
g
d
r
e
o
a
w
t
e
h
r
.
s reduce the
By L
M
yonel Doherty
any tree fruit and berry growers in British
Columbia realize the economic value of reducing
be done to keep new hires safe, according to the Farm and
injuries on their farms, but more work needs to
Ranch Safety and Health Association (FARSHA).
time for a worker is during the first few weeks on the job.
Executive director Bruce Johnson says the most critical
This worker might be inexperienced, out of condition and
feel uncomfortable asking questions.
hazards of the workplace and how to deal with them . . .
“New workers need to be trained, they need to know the
and most of all they need to feel that there is someone
concerned for their safety.”
orientations in the language of choice. It can help with
FARSHA can assist growers with their new-employee
risk assessments to identify hazards and make
recommendations. Most important, the association can
assist employers with their due diligence responsibilities
to ensure the health and safety of their workers.
and safety services to B.C. agriculture via training
Headquartered in Langley, FARSHA provides health
programs, consultations and site evaluations. Its mission
Firefighters provide on-site instruction. This
is to reduce the number of accidents on farms and ranches
unconscious victim is a dummy —the next victim you
in BC. The association has regional safety consultants who
see could be an injured employee.
visit farms to help growers with specific health and safety
issues. If you need an action plan to address hazards, a
attributed to a lack of knowledge. However, Johnson says
consultant is only a phone call away.
farmers and workers can get into situations where safety
is compromised because of weather, rushing a job or
to determine injury trends, and then
FARSHA constantly analyzes data
failing to wear proper protective equipment.
develops training programs and
resources to minimize risks. For
do not have rollover protective structures (ROPS) to
One issue of concern for FARSHA is older tractors that
example, in the fruit-growing sector,
prevent crushing injuries and fatalities. Johnson says
workers falling off orchard ladders
ROPS (with the use of seatbelts) are highly recommended
contribute to 40 percent of the total
because of the significant number of rollover fatalities that
injuries per year, Johnson says. To
occur on farms.
deal with this, FARSHA has a
consultant, Carol Reid, dedicated
Association (CASA), 216 people were killed in sideways
According to the Canadian Agricultural Safety
solely to orchards and vineyards.
rollover events from 1990-2004. Eighty-six percent of
Through visitations and workshops,
these rollovers involved tractors. CASA says most
Reid coaches employees in the
sideways rollovers occur near farm and rural roadways
proper methods of working with
when a tractor is inadvertently driven too close to the edge
ladders.
of a ditch. FARSHA says if a tractor doesn’t have a ROPS
Bruce Johnson
or cannot be fitted with one, the vehicle should be taken
associated with blueberry, raspberry and strawberry
Johnson says the hazards out of service.
production are heat exhaustion and dehydration, as well
as soft tissue injuries from heavy lifting or repetitive
challenges. One primary challenge is helping employers to
Johnson says the association faces a number of
motion. On berry farms that have washing and packing
comply with B.C.’s comprehensive Occupational Health
lines, you run the risk of injury if machines are not
and Safety Regulations, administered by WorkSafeBC.
properly guarded, Johnson says. new-worker orientation challenges, including providing it
“The workforce is constantly changing, which creates
some farms,” he points out, noting this is generally
“Occasionally, we still see questionable practices on in several languages,” Johnson says.
Child safety on farms is another concern that FARSHA
British Columbia FRUIT GROWER • Winter 2009-10
21
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32