A Conservative MP is trying to tackle rural crime by introducing a law that would punish more severely those accused of targeting remote and vulnerable, people or property. Red Deer-Lacombe MP Blaine Calkins brought his proposed law to parliamentarians on April 20. “Rural Canadians too often don’t feel safe in their own homes. Many have […] Read more
Tag Archives farm safety
Power pole contact incidents soar
The number of cases where farm machinery hit a pole or snagged a wire was up 57 percent between 2019 and 2020 in Manitoba
Manitoba farmers are hitting more hydro poles and power lines with their farm equipment. In 2020, there were 188 cases where a cultivator, seeder or another implement crashed into a pole or snagged a wire somewhere in the province. That’s up 57 percent from 2019, when there were 120 incidents. Manitoba Hydro, the provincial utility, […] Read more
Machinery-power line incidents up 57 percent in Manitoba
Manitoba farmers are hitting more hydro poles and power lines with their farm equipment. In 2020, there were 188 cases where a cultivator, seeder or another implement crashed into a pole or snagged a wire somewhere in the province. That’s up 57 percent from 2019, when there were 120 incidents. Manitoba Hydro, the provincial utility, […] Read more
Grain rescue – photo essay
Photo essay | The fire department in Magrath, Alta., recently held a training event to teach volunteer firefighters from southern Alberta how to perform grain entrapment rescues. The March 20 session used wheat for the simulation, in part because it is not as itchy as barley. Smaller material such as canola can be even more constrictive on a person who accidentally becomes entrapped in a bin, but regardless of material, entrapment can be fatal. Among other things, firefighters learned how to handle a small auger that extracts grain from around a person trapped in a bin. They ran through the protocol before undertaking a rescue involving actual grain and extraction made possible by a mobile unit dedicated to the purpose. The training unit allows rescue personnel to learn and practice grain extraction using a realistic scenario. | Barb Glen photos
The fire department in Magrath, Alta., recently held a training event to teach volunteer firefighters from southern Alberta how to perform grain entrapment rescues. The March 20 session used wheat for the simulation, in part because it is not as itchy as barley. Smaller material such as canola can be even more constrictive on a […] Read more
The basics of oxy-fuel safety for welding on the farm
A fuel gas combined with pure oxygen will produce a flame with an extremely high temperature and an enormous quantity of heat. On farms and ranches across Canada, compressed gas cylinders supply fuel gases and oxygen to specially designed torches that are used for heating and cutting, but also welding, brazing, or soldering. There are […] Read more
Reminders for safer cattle handling
As we head into a busy time of year for cattle producers and handlers, it’s good to stop and think about the increased risks. Fall is a dangerous time because there is a lot more movement as ranchers bring in cows and calves that haven’t been touched in months and feedlots operate on long hours. […] Read more
Farm safety moves beyond the usual
Stress is a major contributor to farm accidents, so we at AgSafe Alberta are worried. Not only has this been an unusually stressful year for farmers, we are also heading into one of the busiest and intense periods for grain farms — harvest. In 2019, there were 20,405 injuries on farms in Alberta alone. Considering […] Read more
CASA, Corteva take steps to make farm families safer
Harvest season is just around the corner and a new grain crop will soon be going into storage. Harvest is always exciting, but it’s also a time when the risk of farm injuries is heightened. The risk of grain entrapment should never be underestimated, said Rob Gobeil, an agricultural health and safety specialist at the […] Read more
New tool targets tractor rollovers
From 1990 to 2008, 330 Canadian farmers and farm workers died in tractor rollovers. That represents about 25 percent of all farm-related deaths, says Agrivita Canada — a health and safety research group at the University of Saskatchewan. Tractor rollovers are still a significant hazard on Canadian farms and part of the problem is a […] Read more
On-farm safety should be top of mind
As farmers, we are always at risk of on-farm accidents. But one factor puts us even more at risk: stress. Even though farmers are generally safety aware when it comes to our own farming operations, we are especially vulnerable. In a survey released by the Agricultural Producers of Saskatchewan in early April, farmers reported an […] Read more
