No matter what they produce, farmers can devise a way to stay out of harm's way with a new resource called the FarmSafe Plan.
Safety team members of Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development along with the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) developed the FarmSafe Plan.
The resource has been in use as a pilot project since November and is intended as a manual to help farmers plan for risks and hazards.
Different types of farms were included in the pilot project, including feedlots, grain, calf, poultry and large grain operations, said Laurel Aitken, farm safety coordinator for Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development.
FarmSafe allows farmers to create a tailor-made safety system regardless of type.
For instance, grain farmers work with machinery and trucks while those who raise livestock must deal with aggressive animals, said Bruce Beattie, reeve for Mountain View County.
During spring calving, cows are protective of their young, he continued.
According to Aitken, FarmSafe takes a farmer through steps to implement a safety protocol.
“So you're looking at your own operation and putting the pieces together,” Aitken said. “So in the end, once you've worked with your own employees and your partners and your business, you have a plan that's very specific to exactly what you do.”
Some steps under the plan include having a safety policy in place, assigning responsibilities, finding hazards, risk management and holding orientations and training.
“Basically, it's outlining that this is what's necessary,” Aitken said. “Here's the important elements of a plan and we'll take you through these steps to put it in place or to develop it for your farm.”
Aitken describes FarmSafe as a map that helps make those steps easy and digestible. In particular, it's good for farms that have a lot of employees or high turnover.
“It's good to have something that's laid out in a nice, organized manner and you have it there for your farm,” she said.
As farmers ramp up operations in the spring, safety is key. Beattie said the season is a high-stress one that brings its own dangers.
“One of the major ones is you're under a lot of pressure in terms of timing. So you're working long hours,” he said. “Any time you're working long hours, you potentially are more tired, then there's certainly more potential for an accident to happen.”
“That's when you have to be even more vigilant.”
"Any time you're working long hours, you potentially are more tired, then there's certainly more potential for an accident to happen."Bruce BeattieMVC reeve
