THE LATE editor and novelist Edgar Watson Howe had this to say about a lesson learned: A good scare is worth more to a man than good advice.
This week the farm and ranch population will be offered plenty of good advice in the way of farm safety, because March 8 to 14 is farm safety week.
Sure, everyone is in favour of farm safety, but warnings and entreaties to employ safe practices can easily go in one ear and out the other. Will it take a good scare, a near miss or an actual accident to make you, a Canadian farmer, take precautions to stay safe in your life and work?
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The modern farmer is an independent sort, one who does what it takes to get the job done. He’s often a jack of all trades, an improviser, a breadwinner and a person comfortable in his own company because he often works alone. Economic times being what they are, he or she may also be a bit of a risk-taker in some facets of life, and likely someone who has to cut corners once in awhile because of time or budget.
Maybe it is this keen sense of independence, and all it entails, that leads farmers to take chances with their own safety. It can be as simple as failing to fasten the seatbelt, forgetting to tell someone where you’ll be working or not bothering to replace the guards after fixing a piece of equipment. It might be as simple as jumping off the tractor without disengaging the moving parts of the implement behind, or failing to have the fire extinguisher recharged, or turning your back on an angry cow when you’re working cattle alone.
Everyone is accountable for their own actions, but think about it this way: even if you’re willing to take chances with your own safety, poor judgment though it is, why would you take chances with the future of your family?
This week you will have the opportunity to read about farm accidents and near misses. Those stories almost invariably mention the hardships endured not only by the main character, but by the families of the farmers who were injured or killed in farm accidents.
It isn’t selfish or squeamish to take safety measures on the farm. Rather, it’s one of the most responsible and unselfish things you can do for your family, friends and community. And like many worthwhile efforts, it might take a little more time to accomplish.
There’s one more common theme in stories about farm accidents. There is always something that could have been done – some action taken, some hazard noticed, some advice heeded – that could have prevented the injury or death.
This week, this season, this year, don’t end up as one of the people eulogized by neighbours, friends and family with words and tears that mourn your untimely death due to accident. Be one of those who practices farm safety for themselves and for their family.
