MARCH 2017 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC Make a statement with
a farm safety policy Adults focus of 2017 campaign
by TAMARA LEIGH
LANGLEY – Farm safety should be a priority every day but for one week in March, it becomes the focus of a national awareness campaign. March 12-18 is Canadian Agricultural Safety Week and the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) is partnering with the Canadian Federation of Agriculture to encourage farmers across Canada to make a farm safety plan. In the second year of the
“Be An AgSafe Family” theme, the focus is on educating adults to help keep them safe when they are working on the farm. “We are working to
empower producer families with information they need to help keep them safe on the farm,” says Robin Anderson, CASA’s communications co- ordinator. “Last year we focused on safety for children; this year, we are focused on adults, and next year we will be looking at safety for seniors.”
Each year, approximately 85
Canadians are killed in agriculture-related accidents. According to Canadian Agricultural Injury Reporting, almost half of all agricultural fatalities in Canada between 1990 and 2012 were due to three machine-related causes: machine rollovers, machine runovers and machine entanglements. Many agriculture-related farm fatalities are preventable with proper planning. The first step in developing an overall farm safety and health plan for your operation is creating a general policy statement for safety and health. Decide what your health and safety philosophy is. Talk about what the objectives are for keeping your farm safe, and share your commitment to preventing injury and illness. CASA provides farm safety
resources, including a template to develop a general policy statement on their website [
www.agsafety
week.ca]. As a part of Canadian Agricultural Safety Week 2017, CASA will make
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The Pacific Agriculture Show had nearly 9800 guests through the turnstiles at Abbotsford’s Tradex in January – a record attendance for the show that hosted nearly 300 exhibits. RANDY GIESBRECHT PHOTO
their Canada FarmSafe Plan available free of charge to all farmers who fill out their Health and Safety Policy Statement. Many of the resources can be duplicated, shared and used by anyone in the ag industry, including Toolbox Talks, a series of seven brief, informal talks that address common safety-related farm issues with family and employees. CASA will also be launching a series on women’s health.
One of the easiest and most visible ways for farmers to participate in Ag Safety Week is through the AgSafe Ribbon campaign. CASA will be providing burlap ribbons to serve as a reminder and conversation starter about farm safety. "Farm safety is important to
everyone that wants to see a healthy and thriving agricultural industry," says Anderson. "The ribbon is a declaration that you support Canadian agriculture and want
to see all farmers succeed and thrive on the farm, and that includes being safe.” AgSafety ribbons can be
ordered on the CASA website, and will be distributed through the sponsors and friends of Ag Safety Week across the country. Producers are encouraged to show their commitment to farm safety by wearing a ribbon and sharing their thoughts, pictures and experiences through social media using the #AgSafeFamily hashtag.
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