Take time to slow down, train employees on safety to ‘preserve people’

Seeding season brings rush and risk. And it’s a time when farm accidents can easily happen.

Kenda Lubeck, Alberta Agriculture’s farm safety co-ordinator, said attention paid to farm safety is improving, but farmers still need to plan ahead to avoid injuries.

She advises farmers to train new employees and family members properly, help them to recognize hazards and take steps to manage those hazards.

“We need to have that culture of ‘we can prevent this.’ It’s not an accident. It’s an incident. It is preventable. We need to be proactive and think forward,” said Lubeck.

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Being “too busy” to do things safely is a foolhardy attitude, she said.

“What are you willing to risk to provide for your family? The thing is, if somebody gets hurt, they can’t provide for their family. The operation might not be viable (without the injured person) so you need to plan to preserve all of that.”

Farmers and others may admire those who take risks to accomplish tasks during busy times, but Lubeck said that attitude has flaws.

“People need to start rewarding safe work behaviour, not necessarily the risky stuff that pays off. Because it could pay off today, but it could not pay off tomorrow, and that could be bad.”

Twenty-two people were killed in farm incidents in 2010, according to provincial statistics. Causes included electrocution, drowning and various equipment-related fatal injuries.

“Equipment is getting bigger and people are farming more land. In general, farms are bigger and people are going hard when they go. I think they need to plan for safety,” Lubeck said.

Farmers aren’t always the best trainers of new employees, she added, especially if the equipment is new or different. Lubeck suggested outside trainers be considered.

Training people to properly respond in case of an accident is also important.

“It’s vital to know how to give directions to where you are, and not only the farm, but if you’re out in a field somewhere or in a pasture, you need to know how to instruct emergency personnel to get to you. That’s another plan-ahead thing.”

Cellphones, two-way radios and pagers should be put into use, Lubeck advised.

“People say, ‘well, you know we got along without them in the past.’ But we don’t need to do that anymore. I know that there’s a certain (idea to) preserve the culture and tradition, but in this case, we need to preserve people.”

Protecting farm workers

Seasonal workers may be particularly vulnerable to farm injuries because of youth or inexperience. Alberta Agriculture has tips farmers can adopt to protect farm workers:

•provide training for complex tasks such as equipment operation or chemical application;

•specify do’s and don’ts of potentially hazardous tasks;

•ensure warning decals are in place and that workers understand them;

•give recognition for a job done safely;

•include safety information in job descriptions;

•ensure employees wear suitable clothing for the job;

•keep adequate supplies of safety equipment;

•emphasize that short cuts on safety are unacceptable;

•encourage the reporting of unsafe conditions;

•provide access to two-way radios or cellphones;

•ensure some staff and family members have first aid training;

•teach employees how to use a fire extinguisher;