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ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • DECEMBER 5, 2016
Winter is a great time to make the farm more safe Taking one or more safety courses could pay invaluable dividends next year for you, your family, and employees Alberta Agriculture and Forestry release
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ut farm safety on your agenda for the coming months, says a provincial farm safety specialist. “Winter is a great time to pull out your farm safety plan — or develop one if you haven’t already — and decide what kind of training program your family members and employees should take,” said Blair Takahashi. Some of the courses Takahashi recommends you consider are: • First aid should be a high priority for any farm. It is advisable for all workers to have some sort of first aid training, whether it be farm-specific first aid, emergency first aid, standard first aid or higher. • Equipment operator’s training is particularly important for new and young farm workers. Equipment such as skid steers, loaders, and tractors are powerful and have the potential to severely injure workers. • F armers working with pesticides, ammonia, or in the presence of sour gas will benefit from courses such as pesticide applicators, Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS), or H2S Alive. Check with your chemical supply dealer for pesticide applicator training in your area. WHMIS training can be accessed online, while H2S courses are available through companies that specialize in oilfield safety courses. • F or those handling chemicals, respirator training (also known as Personal Protective Equipment training) will be beneficial. For anyone working from heights, a fall protection course is recommended. • F or those using horses to tend cattle, a horsemanship or ranch hand course will help. Others to consider are stockman courses and horse/ livestock hauling. Check with local agricultural societies, livestock clubs and organizations for upcoming clinics.
The guide shows how to create and implement a health and safety management system specific to individual farming operations. The guide can be found at www.agriculture. alberta.ca (search for ‘farmsafe’).
• F ire extinguisher training covers the many types of fire extinguishers, and it is a good idea to take this training before you need it. • S a f e t y s y s t e m s t r a i n i n g teaches participants the value of a safety program and how to get started setting one up. There are many courses aimed at different industries — farmers should look for a generic course provided by a private consultant or a reputable post-secondary institution. Alberta Agriculture has recently developed a guide called FarmSafe Alberta — A Safety Planning Guide for Farms and Ranches. The guide shows how to create and implement a health and safety manage-
ment system specific to individual farming operations. The guide can be found at www. agriculture.alberta.ca (search for ‘farmsafe’). For more information on using the guide or to set up a FarmSafe Alberta workshop in your area, contact Takahashi at 403-388-4030. The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association has several online training courses available at www.csa-acsa.ca. The Saskatchewan Safety Council offers free online training at www.sasksafety.org. The course, which takes about three hours to complete, provides a general introduction and overview of health and safety hazards and risks on most farms. — With staff files
There is a wide variety of safety programs that address general farm hazards as well as specific ones. PHOTO: Canadian Agricultural Safety Association
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DuPont™ Lumiderm® is a DuPont™ Lumigen® seed sense product. As with all crop protection products, read and follow label instructions carefully. Member of CropLife Canada. Unless indicated, trademarks with ®, ™ or SM are trademarks of DuPont or affiliates. © 2016 DuPont. CPS CROP PRODUCTION SERVICES and Design is a registered trademark of Crop Production Services, Inc. 11/16-53067
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2016-11-21 11:03 AM