Damaged equipment is bad enough for any farmer in the middle of harvest, but a co-owner of a southern Alberta farm says they could have lost much more.
KCL Cattle Company lost thousands of dollars last fall when an employee crashed into a header after a long day in the field. The header was totalled, as was the truck hauling it. The culprit? Fatigue.
“It had been a long stretch of harvest because we had had no weather delays, which is great, but I think you forget just how much weather delays help with fatigue,” said Karleen Clark, business manager with the Lethbridge-area operation.
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“We had just finished up a field; I think they finished around midnight. They decided to move the equipment to another field and start in the morning. There were two trucks pulling the headers. The one in the front slowed down to check a pivot. The one behind him had dozed off and so he ran into the one in front.”
Luckily, no one — including the driver who had fallen asleep — was hurt.
“Fortunately, we were able to get a header the next day but that was just a stroke of luck, I think. It could have been worse,” said Clark.
“I know this feels like a small incident but it was eye-opening to us as to how bad it could have been. If our employee had been hurt, that would really shake us because we’re all friends, we’re all family. It’s important to make sure everyone is staying safe.”
With another busy season approaching, KCL Cattle Co. is looking at ways to manage fatigue to prevent any similar (or worse) accidents.
“We’ve had a lot of conversations about it. I think the biggest thing is to have honest discussions about fatigue,” said Clark, who serves on the board of directors of AgSafe Alberta.
“There’s a sense of pride — farmers push to finish. I think it’s important to remind everyone that there are times when it’s not smart to keep going.
“If you’re tired, don’t be afraid to say ‘hey I need to be switched out today. I need some help. I need to get some more rest. Or maybe let’s not move this equipment tonight. Let’s go rest first.’”
As a farm owner, Clark understands the need to seed and harvest quickly, “but a bad incident is going to cost you a lot more than a weather event or not getting your crop off in time.”
More dangerous than alcohol
Although sometimes shrugged off by farmers as part of the job, fatigue is no joke. According to AgSafe Alberta, it’s four times more likely to cause worker impairment than drugs or alcohol. A tired employee is three times more likely to be involved in a workplace incident.
Fatigue is also estimated to cause 20 per cent of all vehicle fatalities, while unmanaged fatigue contributes to diabetes, obesity and heart disease.
One of Clark’s plans for the upcoming busy season is to encourage the timely use of caffeine — or even water — when the work day runs long.
“Maybe bring out some coffee at 8 p.m., giving the guys a little bit of a break later on in the evening, probably could help.”
Employees or operators in general should take notice of things that help keep them awake.
“My one farm manager said being barefoot helps keep him awake. Opening windows can help; warm vehicles make you dozy. I think sometimes getting out of your equipment and just moving around can help. Having someone in the cab … can help too.”
On the managerial side, Clark recommends setting up shifts if possible. Not every farm has that luxury, of course.
“But if farmers can make an arrangement with neighbours — whatever they can do to avoid getting into a position of fatigue I think is important.”
Managers should pay particular attention to younger or more inexperienced employees, said Clark. The worker who got into the accident was younger, less seasoned and probably hadn’t yet found the tools needed to cope with fatigue.
“Our farm manager, my husband Jared, knows how to deal with fatigue and knows how to identify when he’s too tired because he’s been doing this for 10, 20 years.
“With the younger guy, we probably could have done a better job of telling him ‘hey, this might be helpful’, or “you need to make sure that in your off days, you’re getting enough rest.’”
AgSafe Alberta says managers can watch for workers who become Inattentive, have difficulty remembering or thinking clearly, struggle to make decisions and show errors in judgment.
AgSafe Alberta has resources to help farmers manage a broad range of farm safety issues. One of its latest is Farmers Care, billed as a free program designed to be “a simple, effective and interactive tool to help you improve farm safety in a practical way.”
As its website says, “you don’t need any previous safety knowledge or experience; all that it will take is a computer, tablet, or mobile device, an Internet connection, and a little time.”
“It touches base on the key hazards on the farm,” said Clark.
“The program takes you through each section and does a really good job of overviewing what the hazard is, how you can avoid the hazard, and has quick snippets on people who have had incidents related to those hazards.
“I would say it took me an hour to go through the entire program, which I think is pretty quick.”
Farmers Care and other AgSafe programs and information can be found at agsafeab.ca.
