Producers looking to enhance safety on their farm or ranch can now apply for grants from the Alberta government.
The province recently announced it is now accepting applications for farm safety grants. Farms operations with paid, non-family employees can apply.
The province announced the grant program earlier this summer as part of upcoming changes to the occupational health and safety code for producers with paid, non-family workers.
The grant, which the province says will help offset costs, covers 50 percent of eligible safety expenses. It will cover a maximum of $5,000 per year or $10,000 over the life of the program per applicant.
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The province has set aside $6 million for the program over three years. It runs until March 2021.
Producers looking for reimbursement must provide receipts. Eligible expenses include seat-belt installation, warning lights, auger guards, first aid kits, fire extinguishers, warning signs, respirators, eye and hearing protection, health and safety programs, courses, and education and training.
“Through grants like this, government is helping to support a culture of safety on the farm,” Kent Erickson, chair of AgSafe Alberta, said in a news release.
The new safety code for farms and ranches with paid workers takes effect Dec. 1. Some of the new rules include installing seatbelts, if practical, for equipment that is more than 700 kilograms, as well as completing a rollover hazard assessment for such equipment.
More information on the new rules and the grant program can be found here.
