Safety Matters

Many of us love to spend Saturday mornings wandering through local markets, purchasing local produce at the grocery store or visiting local farms. It’s great to think about all the fresh, healthy food available to us thanks to Canadian farmers and ranchers but we don’t often think about the occupational hazards that exist for them. Working with livestock, being outdoors in all weather, lifting, shovelling, etc. all carry occupational hazards. The largest hazard continues to be farm machinery.

A post by the Canada Safety Council notes: According to a 2023 report by Canadian Agricultural Injury Reporting (CAIR), national farm fatality rates have averaged 70 deaths annually since 2006, making it one of the most hazardous industries in the country. The most common causes of fatal injuries on the farm are machine-related (66 per cent), with nearly 30 per cent of these being due to machine rollovers, which is when heavy equipment tips onto its side or roof, and runovers, which occur when a machine under power or rolling on an incline runs over the victim.

This week is Canadian Agricultural Safety Week (CASW) and the 2024 call to action for farmers, farm families, farm workers and farming communities is to plan for #FarmSafetyEveryday,

The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA), the non-profit farm safety association that promotes and manages CASW says, “Written safety plans enable farmers to identify hazards on the farm, and control them via standard operating procedures, outlining emergency actions, and conducting training and investigating incidents, while also putting in place systems for communicating safety-related responsibilities and monitoring the farm for future hazards.”

Hazards present on a farm affect those who live, work and visit. Here are some resources to help you create a safety plan for your farm, and tips to keep safe:

The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) Find information, resources and tools to help you build a safety program for your farm.

Canadian Agricultural Safety Week (CASW) Find a list of tips to keep your farm safe for those living there, working there and visiting. 

Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture (NSFA)  Find local safety events during CASW as well as ongoing local events and resources throughout the year.