Winnipeg, August 8, 2011: Most Canadian farmers say safety is a top business priority, but only one in six has a safety plan.
Marcel Hacault, executive director of the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA), says, “When a recent Farm Credit Canada survey of farmers turned up that fact, we knew we had to build a tool to improve the safety record on Canada’s farms. We developed Canada FarmSafe – a process to help farmers manage safety and health on their operations, no matter the size, location or farm type.”
CASA’s agricultural health and safety specialist Glen Blahey led the development of Canada FarmSafe. “It’s practical, sensible and it works,” Blahey says. “We’re making a short form available on CASA’s website www.planfarmsafety.ca. We’ll provide all the documents and answer questions on request.”
Blahey explains, “Canada FarmSafe goes way beyond hazard assessment check lists. It’s a safety commitment with tools to make safety part of every plan and action on the farm.”
Hacault adds that several agri-businesses and safety service agencies in Canada are interested in using Canada FarmSafe as a basis for providing safety services to their clients. “Our goal is to work with partners across the country who will adapt it for their farmers,” he says. “We want this plan to be used, not sit on a shelf gathering dust!”
For an outline of Canada FarmSafe, go to www.planfarmsafety.ca . The outline includes instructions for:
• composing a general policy statement for safety and health for your farm
• identifying hazards
• controlling hazards, including documenting standard operating procedures for all work on the farm, outlining emergency actions, conducting training and investigating incidents
• communicating responsibilities
• reviewing the plan
The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) is a national, non-profit organization that provides national leadership and direction for agricultural health and safety to reduce injuries and lessen their negative impact on farmers, their families and workers. CASA is primarily funded through Growing Forward, a federal, provincial and territorial initiative, with support from Canadian agri-business.
Media contact:
Diane Wreford 1-877-452-2272 dwreford@casa-acsa.ca
Tara Seel 1-877-452-2272 tseel@casa-acsa.ca
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