Canola groups help fund a mobile demonstration unit to teach farmers, workers, and emergency responders about dangers and rescue techniques
A Canadian farm safety organization has teamed up with prairie canola groups to build and operate a mobile grain entrapment demonstration unit to prevent more people from dying in grain accidents.
“This grassroots support means that we have a solid start to this new and vital program,” said Marcel Hacault, executive director of the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association.
The Manitoba Canola Growers Association, the Alberta Canola Producers Commission and SaskCanola have agreed to contribute $30,000 each over three years to fund one unit.
“Projects like the mobile grain entrapment demonstration unit are important to our organization and our industry,” said Jack Froese of the Manitoba association.
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“They provide opportunities for agricultural workers, farmer and farm families across the Prairies to learn about the importance of grain safety and spread awareness of the dangers of grain entrapment.”
A Saskatchewan grandfather and grandson died in September while emptying a grain truck. In October, three sisters died in a truck loaded with canola on their Alberta farm.
Hacault hopes the new unit will help prevent more tragedies.
Emergency responders in Nova Scotia successfully rescued a person trapped in grain this year, two weeks after taking grain bin rescue training.
“We’ve seen that it works and saves lives,” said Hacault.
Heightened awareness of the tragedies in Alberta and Saskatchewan has focused industry on the need for more training.
The unit will be a small trailer with two grain bins and augers to allow grain to move from one bin to another to simulate grain movement, suffocation and engulfment.
“Each of these units would serve communities at fairs and trade shows, train first responders in grain rescue techniques and be used by commercial grain famers for training agricultural workers.”
Hacault believes the units could be used to increase the awareness of grain entrapment, confined spaces, the need for equipment guards and the hazards of dust.
“We want to start the conversation about safety,” he said.
Large grain farmers could also use the trailer to teach grain safety, he said.
The three-year project is expected to build three units and cost $600,000.
