Reading Time: 3 minutes Editor’s note: The questions posed in the letter from Doug Burkard were passed on to Glen Blahey, agricultural health and safety specialist with the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association. Both the letter and response are below. I have just read the article “Trapped in a flash — the horror waiting inside a grain bin.” I was […] Read more
Why on earth would someone go into a bin with the auger running?
Reader can’t fathom why someone would do that, but safety expert explains it only takes a moment of carelessness
A terrible toll: Farming still claims too many lives
The latest statistics show an encouraging but modest decline in the number of farm fatalities
Reading Time: 4 minutes The number of people killed in farm accidents continues to decline, but a new report also says “there is no more dangerous occupation” than farming. The average number of fatalities fell from 116 annually from 1990 to 2001 to 84 in the latest 10-year reporting period (2003 to 2012), according to Canadian Agricultural Injury Reporting […] Read more
Fatality report highlights the many dangers of farming
The grim statistics are a reminder that some everyday activities can also be very hazardous
Reading Time: < 1 minute The language is plain, the numbers clear, and the take-home message is simple — danger is ever present on farms. Although run-overs, rollovers, and being pinned or struck by machinery account for 369 of the 843 fatalities in the latest Canadian Agricultural Injury Reporting report (covering the period from 2003 to 2012), tragedy strikes in […] Read more
Tips for safely operating grain augers
Reading Time: < 1 minute Entanglements are one of the top hazards on a farm, and augers are often involved. If an auger is new or new to you, or hasn’t been used in a few months, review the owner’s manual (which many manufacturers have online). Before starting the auger, check that all guards are secured in place and check […] Read more
Don’t take chances when removing duals
Reading Time: < 1 minute While duals are useful to improve traction and reduce soil compaction, removing them when not needed reduces tire wear and enhances manoeuvrability. But removing duals can be hazardous and people have been crushed by falling wheels or suffered strains and sprains. Read more: Ribbons to promote ag safety Removing duals is a two-person job and […] Read more
Ribbons to promote ag safety
An Alberta idea is going national this winter to encourage farmers to think safety
Reading Time: < 1 minute An Alberta farm safety campaign is getting a second life by going national. AgSafe lapel ribbons premiered in Alberta in 2012 to raise awareness about farm safety in the province, said Kenda Lubeck who is a farm safety co-ordinator for Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. “We wanted a visual that would encourage discussions for every- body […] Read more
Farmers urged to make a commitment to safety
Farm Safety Week: The first step is to have a conversation about what safety means on your operation
Reading Time: 2 minutes The theme of Canadian Agricultural Safety Week from March 12 to 18 is ‘Be an AgSafe Family.’ This article by the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association talks about the impact of a farm fatality on a family and the farm. Statistics tell us that each year approximately 85 Canadians are killed in an agriculture-related incident. Run-overs, […] Read more
Have your say on employment standards and labour relations regulations
Two reports — one for employment standards, one for labour relations — will be available for public comment until April 3
Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta farmers have asked to have their say on proposed new workplace safety rules — and the provincial government says they will now have their chance. The NDP government is asking Albertans to give their views on two reports on proposed employment standards and labour relations recommendations. Feedback will be accepted until April 3 online, […] Read more
Find ‘your own reasons’ to make your farm safer, says expert
Finding time is often the biggest hurdle, but farm safety expert Donna Trottier says the key is to start small and build on that
Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s been one year since Alberta’s controversial farm and ranch safety legislation came into effect, and the jury is still out as to whether the act is actually making farms across the province safer. But preventing agriculture-related injuries is “pretty complex,” and legislation alone can’t bear that load without some support from training and education, […] Read more
Well pits jeopardize water quality and your safety
Even though they were banned more than two decades ago, hundreds of these hazardous pits can be found across Alberta
Reading Time: 2 minutes When her father attempted to rescue her, he also passed out. The teenaged son who attempted to retrieve both his sister and father was also overcome. Of the three family members who entered the cellar, only the father survived. At first, investigators suspected that the vegetables had rotted and emitted a toxic gas, but the […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
