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Do You Have a Farm Safety Plan? | |
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From the Apr 27, 2009 Issue of Agri-News | |
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"You can't take all the hazards out of agriculture. It's just the nature of the work," says Marcel Hacault, Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) executive director. "However we can certainly reduce many of the hazards with a little thought and preparation and by making safety a part of each and every job."
During Farm Safety Week, March 11 to 17, 2009, this year's Canadian agricultural safety campaign theme Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) only works if you use it! was launched. The campaign focuses on the use, fit and access of PPE in agriculture.
"Safety isn't something that only needs to be practiced for a week," says Raelyn Peterson, farm safety coordinator, Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, Grande Prairie. "Farm safety should be practiced always. Having a farm safety plan for your farm, ranch or operation is a good first step that a farm operation can take and it shows family members, employees and farm workers how important safety is to the operation."
In practice, there are only seven strategies available to reduce workplace hazards:
- engineering controls
- material substitution
- process change
- revised work practices
- equipment change
- administrative controls
- the use of personal protective equipment
A good safety plan considers the hazards, evaluates all possible control methods, integrates various approaches, and re-examines them frequently to ensure a safe work operation. It does these things by requiring that conscious decision-making, evaluation, and re-evaluation is done at various stages throughout the program.
All hazard controls can be put in two basic categories - pre-contact and point-of-contact.
Pre-contact control is the first and most important method because it prevents the hazard from reaching the worker. These controls include substituting materials or processes that are less hazardous, isolating hazardous processes, retrofitting existing equipment, or acquiring safer equipment. Pre-contact control can also be achieved by providing protection to the worker with local exhaust ventilation, machine guarding, better housekeeping, and safe work practices. Many Canadian jurisdictions legislate pre-contact controls.
Where pre-contact controls are not practical, feasible, or totally effective, point-of-contact controls must be used. The point-of-contact control is important but secondary because it cannot eliminate the hazard. It only manages the hazard at the point-of-contact with the worker. This form of control is primarily accomplished through personal protective equipment. It is to be used when pre-contact controls are not totally effective. Many Canadian jurisdictions also legislate point-of-contact control methods.
A physical, chemical or biological hazard cannot be eliminated by PPE, but the risk of injury can be greatly reduced.
PPE should be used as:
- a short term measure before controls are implemented
- where pre-contact control technology is not available
- where pre-contact controls are inadequate
- during activities such as maintenance, clean up, and repair where pre-contact controls are not feasible or effective during emergency situations
For more information on creating a farm safety work plan visit www.ccohs.ca
Information is also available by contacting Peterson at 780-538-5633 or by visiting Alberta's farm safety webpage at www.agriculture.alberta.ca/farmsafety
Contact:
Raelyn Peterson
780-538-5633
The contents of this page are no longer available.
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For more information about the content of this document, contact Raelyn Peterson.
This document is maintained by Rita Splawinski.
This information published to the web on April 22, 2009.
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