by Theresa Whalen
Canadian Federation of Agriculture Farm Safety Consultant (345 words)
Check out Pioneer Toolbox Talks – a new resource to help Canadian farm and ranch operators deliver regular safety training to their workers.
Toolbox Talks are notes for brief, informal talks or meetings about specific ag safety topics. These notes provide the tools for two to five minute, interactive discussions on working safely on the farm.
The Talks were developed by the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) in partnership with the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) and Pioneer Hi-Bred Limited and can be downloaded for free from www.planfarmsafety.ca .
“Good safety practices are about good working habits,” said Ron Bonnett, CFA President. “Using the Toolbox Talks will help everyone’s day go more smoothly, productively and most importantly, safely.”
Pioneer Toolbox Talks are designed as a one-page summary of the key points and processes in doing a task along with some background information, emergency procedures and where to find more information on the topic. There are currently eight farm-related topics available including chocking wheels, blocking raised equipment, grain bin safety, working alone, battery boosting, ATV safety and gear, lock-out / tag out and overhead wire safety.
“The content of each of the Toolbox Talks is very important,” explains Marcel Hacault, Executive Director of CASA. “But the real value is the time farm operators spend discussing safety with their workers. These Talks help to make that happen.”
Talk leaders are offered brief instructions on how to conduct the discussion and are encouraged to print a copy for each participant to follow along and then keep for future reference. When the Talk has been completed, leaders can fill in the operation’s name, location and date and each participant can sign the sheet to confirm they received the training. The Talk sheet is then filed with the operation’s worker training records to document the training experience.
“Pioneer Hi-Bred Limited is a long time supporter of farm safety in Canada,” said Tara Moir, Communications Manager for Pioneer Hi-Bred Limited. “We believe that everyone has a role in safety and by working together we will keep agriculture in Canada vibrant and productive.”
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For more information contact:
Theresa Whalen, CFA Farm Safety Consultant – T: (613) 822-0016 E: farmsafety@cfafca.ca
