| | New technical rules in the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Code came into effect on December 1. Alberta farmers and ranchers may still have questions - who does this affect? Where and how do I start? What help is out there for us?
These upcoming changes were developed through extensive consultation with the agriculture sector, giving similar rights and protections to waged, non-family farm and ranch workers as the rest of Canada. This change addresses workplace hazards, safety training and maintenance of equipment. For more information, call 1-866-415-8690 or visit the occupational health and safety webpage for farms and ranches.
Hazard assessments, worker training, inspections, incident reporting and emergency management are a great starting point. Alberta Labour and AgSafe Alberta have created agriculture specific resources for producers. Whether you need documentation, training or some hands-on help, there is someone ready to guide you.
Need a little extra help? Alberta Labour is funding a grant that is administered by Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. The program is designed to assist Alberta farmers and ranchers to implement health and safety practices and procedures that align with OHS legislation and make their work sites safe for their workers and themselves. The program offers financial support to eligible employers (must have waged, non-family workers and a WCB account) for eligible costs to improve health and safety in their operations.
Find more information about the Farm Health and Safety Producer Grant Program, email FarmSafetyProducerGrant@gov.ab.ca or contact the Alberta Ag-Info Centre at 310-FARM (3276). |
|