With seeding delayed by bad weather, farmers are under more pressure than usual to get their crops started in time to beat fall frosts. For some farm families, that could mean tragedy.
In an average year, about 135 Canadians die in farm accidents – slightly more than one every three days.
Farming is considerably more dangerous than most other occupations. Alberta Agriculture has estimated the farm fatality rate at 55 per 100,000, five times as many as the average for all industries.
Perhaps most depressing is that many of those fatalities are children. A Manitoba study found that one of every six farm deaths was a child.
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Danger comes in many forms, but the greatest hazard is machinery. Saskatchewan statistics show that 43 percent of that province’s farm fatalities involve machinery. Other major causes of farm deaths include fire, explosion, asphyxiation, drowning, electrocution, livestock and all-terrain vehicles.
The human tragedies involve more than fatalities. By some estimates, there are 30 times as many serious but non-fatal farm accidents as there are fatal accidents.
The results can be traumatic – loss of limbs, severe lacerations, disfigurement, or other crippling injuries.
Some of the risks in farming are inevitable, or may be the result of financial pressures that prevent such things as proper child care.
But other risks can be avoided. Individual farm families still have some control over their own safety.
One survey of farmers injured in machinery accidents found that almost three out of five admitted they had been careless.
Even just forcing time on the agenda for a family discussion of farm safety could help prevent a tragedy.
Agriculture departments have reference material that can help a family do a safety inventory of their farm, to correct or at least identify specific hazards.
Most farmers will have heard the safety tips before: turn equipment off before clearing obstructions; don’t remove safety shields from power takeoffs; wear protective clothing when handling chemicals; and so on. But repetition and reminders can be valuable in ensuring safe work habits.
Some of the most compelling messages are from people who have suffered personal loss.
A few years ago, one farm woman, whose 11-year-old son died in a farm machinery accident, described the painful lesson she learned:
“The whole family has to sit down and agree to change their habits and attitudes to safety. Rules have to be established and set in stone.”
Do you have anything more important to do today?
