| | By Jason Contant
Originally published in OHS Canada, April/May issue
The good news is the majority of Canadian primary producers believe farm safety is important; the bad news is that less than a fifth have a formal safety plan in place, a new study has found.
More than 750 primary producers—from various provinces and representing crop, dairy, hog, poultry and beef farming operations—took part in the online survey from Farm Credit Canada (FCC) in conjunction with the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA). Survey results, release in February, show that 83 percent of respondents said safety is a priority, but only 15 per cent have a formal safety plan in place.
“They practise many safety measures on a regular basis,” notes the survey report. “However, they acknowledge that they are not practicing all safety measures all of the time, which could result in the potential for accidents or injuries on the farm.”
Of all the provinces, Quebec fared the best, with 44 per cent of respondents reporting they have a farm safety program in place. That compares to the provincial low of eight per cent in Manitoba and 21 per cent in both Ontario and the Atlantic provinces, notes Tanis Goski, manager of research for the FCC.
In all, the report notes that 89 per cent of respondents reported regularly practicing safe equipment handling and 83 per cent cited regularly training family members. Of concern, however, was the fact that two-thirds of those polled say they regularly work when tired and only 32 per cent say they are managing job stress.
The two latter findings, Goski says, “could override a lot of the other good intentions with the other safety measures.”
The report points to “old habits” and “time” as two major barriers to practicing safety measures. “In short, producers take shortcuts so they can get the job done.”
Taking precautions during farm renovations is also important, says CASA executive director Marcel Hacault. “If we can include that safety lens in what we do and how we do things, we’re probably going to improve our performance,” Hacault suggests.
CASA officials are currently exploring a number of measures. These include creating a program that would encourage farmers to develop and implement a safety plan on their farms, and reviewing the possible benefits of incentives, such as insurance premium reductions, Hacault adds. |
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