The Rural Voice, 2000-03, Page 16im Gowland remembers the
doubts that went through his
mind the first time he heard the
words Agricultural Safety Audit.
It was a year ago and Bill Rose of
the Ontario Farm Safety Association
asked if he'd take a look at the first
draft of the proposal that had been
developed by the Ontario
Agricultural Human Resources
Committee (made up of
representatives from most farm
commodity groups) and the
Workplace Safety and Insurance
Board (formerly Workers'
Compensation). He heard the words
Workers' Compensation and he
worried.
But Rose assured him this was a
voluntary program and he agreed to
test it and make any suggestions for
improvements. In doing so, he got a
sneak preview of the program now
being promoted by the Farm Safety
Association and local associations
across the province. It's a program
every farm should take, Gowland
says.
The Agricultural Safety Audit is
developed along the same lines at the
Environmental Farm Plan, says
Gowland who has completed both
programs. "You're not doing this for
someone eise. You're doing it for
yourself. What you put down (in the
32 -page book) is meaningless to
anyone else but yourself."
When the final version of the
Agricultural Safety Audit Program
was released early this year,
Gowland got a copy and sat down
with his wife Judy (an active partner
in the mostly cash crop operation)
and family members to fill it out. The
program guide recommends you have
an outside pair of eyes or another
family member take part in the audit
because they see things with fresh
eyes. "Some things you think are safe
someone else sees as hazardous,"
Gowland says.
Involving family members proved
valuable in the Gowlands' case, Jim
says, because it was his daughters
who pointed out one of the problems.
It's important that everyone on the
farin know how to shut down
equipment, including the power take
off, but while his sons had been fully
trained in operating the equipment,
the girls were unsure what they
would do in an emergency. Now they
14 THE RURAL VOICE
2 HOURS
THAT COULD
SAVE A LIFE
It took 2 hours for the
Gowland family to complete
an Agricultural Safety Audit of
their farm — a great
investment to save life and
limb of a family member
Story and photos
by Keith Roulston
1111111...
It took the Gowlands less than two hours to complete the Agricultural
Safety Audit for their farm (top). They learned the things they needed to
improve, but also the good things they're doing, like backing equip-ment
into the shed so they'll have a clear visibility when they drive out.
know.
"There are items around here too
where I'll be questioned if it's safe
enough," Jim says. "There's no
question about fixing it up."
Jim takes farm safety seriously,
with good reason. He had a close call
with what could have been a life -
altering event back in 1980. The
tractor he was using had a PTO shaft
that turned slowly, even when
disengaged, while the tractor idled.
He had developed a habit of slowing
the shaft down with his hand and one
cold morning touched the slowly -
revolving shaft, thinking it was just
moving on its own. It wasn't! His
glove caught on the shaft and, despite
his best efforts, he ended up with his
thumb facing backwards before he
could get his hand out of the glove.
Still, that was a good result by
comparison what what might have
been. "One more revolution and I
would have lost my arm," he says. "It
was a stupid thing to do that I'd
gotten away with hundreds of times."
Since then he has made farm
safety an important part of a 4-H
farm machinery club he's helped lead
for 13 years. The leaders try to instill
in their club members the realization
they need to think twice before doing
something.
"We feel it's worthwhile leading
the club if it saves a life or limb," he
says.
He estimates it would take two
hours at most to complete the
audit booklet — it took the
Gowlands only an hour and a half
since they could skip the livestock
portions.
The book covers nearly every
potential danger on a farm. It begins
with a tractor safety audit, looking at
physical conditions and workplace
practices, then moves on to self-
propelled equipment and transport
vehicles. Other machinery -oriented
segments include PTO equipment,
general machinery such as balers and
lawn mowers, line trimmers and
chain saws.
Next the audit moves on to look at
your ability to respond to an