The Rural Voice, 2000-04, Page 66SCHMIDT'S
FARM DRAINAGE
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62 THE RURAL VOICE
AgriTech
Safety first for new
By Janice Becker
Intermingled with the final few
snowflakes of the season, the sun is
warming the land, thawing dormant
seeds and encouraging new growth.
With the smell of spring, farmers
get the itch to get back on the land,
drive the tractor from the shed and
hook up the equipment. However, as
the planting phase begins, it is time to
take stock of safety measures and
potential hazards around the farm.
To review procedures and safe-
guards, there are several websites
with on-line suggestions while print-
ed material and videos can be pur- -
chased.
The first site which drew my atten-
tion was from the University of
Minnesota, listed as their Farm Safety
Clearinghouse at
www.bae. umn.edu/—fs/.
True to the site name, there was a
huge selection of farm safety sub-
jects, everything from tractor safety
to injury and fatality data (though
American), personal protection
equipment information, pesticide and
chemical handling tips, confined
spaces dangers and livestock han-
dling ideas.
While some of the information
could be read on-line or printed,
others included order forms for the
full package of material or the option
to buy or rent videos on specific
topics. Some of the most interesting
were opportunities for educators to
purchase kits for school programs or
adult and community programs.
A lengthy resource list also offered
other places to obtain material.
After looking at the Ontario
Federation of Agriculture site and
finding no information on safety, I
tried the Canadian Federation of
Agriculture site with much greater
success. Located at www.cfa-fca.ca,
it provided a good selection of farm
safety topics which could be read on-
line and links provided connections
to other sites.
One site which I had tried to con-
nect to simply by entering the address
had failed, yet the CFA site took me
there easily.
From Iowa, Farm Safety 4 Just
Kids, www.fs4jk.org/, could be a
season
good resource for teachers. Geared to
children, all the safety information is
related to their experiences on the
farm and how families should handle
children in an industrial setting.
Though all components of the site
were not yet up and running, it is
expected to be at full speed by sum-
mer.
If looking for a detailed examina-
tion of the business, the Agricultural
Safety Audit Program (ASAP) can
help. Launched last year by the
Workplace Safety and Insurance
Board (WSIB) and Ontario
Agricultural Human Resource
Committee (OAHRC), it is a practi-
cal, self-management, sector -specific
tool which helps farmers prevent
injuries and control costs.
The hazard identification check list
covers 17 areas for consideration,
including items such as self-propelled
equipment, lawnmowers and pesti-
cide storage and handling.
Participants are asked to inspect
and identify hazards, then put a value
on the risk. The farmer has to priori-
tize the hazards, look for solutions
and set a time frame for improve-
ments.
For more information on obtaining
the free audit program, call 1-800-
361-8855.
The Canadian Agricultural Safety
Program (CASP), as part of the
Canadian Adaptation Rural Develop-
ment Fund Program offers grants for
safety improvement programs.
The focus of CASP is to increase
safety awareness, promote healthy
attitudes and decrease farm family
injuries and fatalities.
Projects with a regional or provin-
cial scope are funded 50 per cent by
the province with the rest from co-
sponsors. National or multi -province
projects receive 60 per cent funding.
For further information, the website
is www.agr.ca/policy/adapt/casp.html
or contact the Farm Safety Assoc-
iation in Guelph at 1-800-361- 8855.
To offer feedback on past issues or
suggestions for future columns, con-
tact me at becker@wcl.on.ca.
Janice Becker is a computer enthusi-
ast and journalist living near Walton,
ON: