Theresa Whalen-Ruiter may have a winner on her hands.
As farm safety co-ordinator for the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, she has distributed 70,000 copies of the group’s latest safety campaign poster and is getting lots of requests for it.
“That’d be a wonderful problem,” she said when asked if a second printing run might be required.
The 28 x 43 centimetre poster focuses on handling livestock. It offers advice about animals’ instinctive flight zone, kick zone and blind spots.
Whalen-Ruiter said safety research has shown that people who handled cows 20 years ago may think they know what they’re doing, but their reflexes may have changed or they may have forgotten some procedures.
Read Also
Stock dogs show off herding skills at Ag in Motion
Stock dogs draw a crowd at Ag in Motion. Border collies and other herding breeds are well known for the work they do on the farm.
“Familiarity can work against a farmer.”
She said injuries vary by age group, with middle-aged men most commonly injured by cattle. Teenage girls are most commonly the victims in accidents involving horses.
Cathy Vanstone of Manitoba, chair of the Canadian Coalition for Agricultural Safety and Rural Health, said the most important way to stay safe around livestock is to be calm and deliberate, and to speak frequently in a soothing voice.
“If your movements are calm, then the animal is more likely to be calm as well,” she said.
“Also, your voice lets the animal know where you are so it is less likely to be startled if you move in or out of its blind spot.”
Posters are available from the coalition, the CFA, Agriculture Canada, Pioneer Hi-Bred Ltd., and local farm safety organizations.
