GRANDE PRAIRIE, Alta. — The phone rings at the farm and someone on the line offers to do a safety assessment to prepare that farm for compliance with Alberta’s new Enhanced Protection for Farm and Ranch Workers Act, formerly known as Bill 6.
The offer comes with a price tag, of course.
Should Alberta farmers accept?
Doreen Neilley, a director with Bison Producers of Alberta, says they should proceed with caution.
She is a member of the committee charged with making recommendations on education, training and certification related to Occupational Health and Safety. It is one of the roundtables of people appointed by the Alberta government to sort out the nuts and bolts of the act.
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“To the best of our knowledge, there is no one who has any kind of a certification because there’s no one who is yet, and this is going to sound a little weird, but no one is certified to certify these people,” said Neilley.
“There is no one under the current system who can actually put someone through a process that says, ‘yes, you are capable of going out to someone’s farming business and saying yes, you meet the criteria. Here’s your certificate.’
“People are getting taken in. Some people have spent several thousand dollars, which really irritates me.”
A spokesperson from Alberta Agriculture confirmed the requirements for safety certification at agricultural operations are yet to be established as government awaits roundtable recommendations.
The department said FarmSafe Alberta is a program that complies with the government’s certificate of recognition requirements but could not elaborate on what that might mean for final regulations.
“(FarmSafe is) the only farm safety program that qualifies businesses to apply for their Certificate of Recognition and become eligible for WCB rebates,” said a government spokesperson in an email about the issue.
“Agricultural producers should know that any other third-party certification is not a requirement under the Enhanced Protection for Farm and Ranch Workers Act.”
Neilley said recommendations on the precise certifications that will be needed for farms to comply with the act are unlikely to come from the roundtable.
The more likely outcomes are general in nature.
“We have agreed, in the education panel, that education is a vital component of safety in agriculture for everyone concerned, not just employees who fall under the act,” she said. “I know that farm families have been exempted from the act…. However, we have agreed to recommend to the government that any education system, components, etc. that are meant for agriculture are to be accessible to everybody, including family operations.”
She said the roundtable has also agreed that any education program must be suitable to agriculture, usable, adaptable to any size of operation, practical and accessible even to people without high-speed internet capacity.
As well, the group agreed that safety education information should be available in one place.
One of her primary worries now, however, is that safety companies may be taking advantage of farmers by offering training and services that might not be legally required once the regulations are set.
“There are people out there now who have recognized an opportunity to swindle some of us,” she said.
“Avoid being sucked in by someone making a cold call and telling you that they can provide training and certification for your agriculture business to protect you from OH and S problems.”
Glen Blahey, agricultural health and safety specialist with the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association, said many companies are flogging their services to farmers, and not all of them offer reliable information. However, reports of illegitimate course offerings are only anecdotal.
“We’re hearing dribs and drabs and smatterings about people like that,” said Blahey.
That said, he doesn’t discount the value of having safety assessments done on the farm operation.
“The heads up that producers need to understand is that while it’s a good idea to take that action, try and make sure the money you’re putting out is going to give you value and is going to be consistent with the needs of the regulator.”
Blahey said there is a national standard for health and safety professionals in the agricultural sector, which is available from CASA and on its website. It outlines the measures for competency in the field.
Alberta agricultural operations may want to proceed with safety assessments done by professionals even before the government rules are established, he said.
“It’s certainly not too soon at all. Part of good business risk management is including health and safety into your program, into your risk management strategy.
“If you’re going to make an effort to protect your workers and protect yourself so that no one gets sick or injured from something that was preventable, that should also be looked at as business risk management.”
He said there are economic benefits to having a safety program on the farm, ranch or other agricultural operation. It also allows them to demonstrate due diligence in managing health and safety.
No one gets a cheque at the end of the year saying they have a good, safe farm, said Blahey, but a program does pay off in many ways.
“It will earn you more than it costs you,” he said.
Neilley said she likely wouldn’t outright reject companies that called offering safety assessments.
“Let’s not burn any bridges, but if I get any of those phone calls, I’d just say I’m dealing with that as I get to it.”
