Every year, underground infrastructures and utilities are unintentionally struck across Canada. Unsafe digging could result in serious injury or death, fines and repair costs or interrupted services. Although many underground infrastructures and utilities are found in urban areas, rural areas also have a number of these services. Don’t risk hitting or disrupting an underground utility […] Read more
Locate underground utilities before you dig
Protecting against falls on the farm
Falls are a serious contributor to farm fatalities. In fact, falls from heights are one of the top 10 causes of fatalities in agriculture, according to Canadian Agricultural Injury Reporting. Falls that are not fatal can often result in serious injury — even a minor fall resulting in a minor injury could lead to lost […] Read more
Selecting the right technology for your farm
Technology has created new and exciting ways to manage and improve farming operations. From GPS to drones, from bin monitors to smartphones and apps, tech is everywhere. Along with the tremendous advantages that technology has afforded farmers, there is potential for inefficiencies, frustrations, and, at worst, hazards. Selecting the right tech, using it to its […] Read more
Training, equipment and teamwork save youth from grain entrapment
Grain entrapment is a growing concern on farms and in grain-handling facilities. Grain entrapment happens quickly and is often fatal. That’s where the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association’s (CASA) BeGrainSafe program comes in. BeGrainSafe works to save lives through awareness and training. On November 4, 2019, grain rescue training and knowledge, the proper equipment and teamwork […] Read more
Clearing snow safely and effectively this winter
With winter comes snow and with snow comes snow clearing. No matter how (front-end loader, blade, snow blower or even a snow shovel or scoop) or where you clear snow (walkways, driveways, lanes, barnyards, shops, around bins and fuelling areas) there are some basic safety tips to keep in mind to keep everyone safe. Generally, […] Read more
Five things to consider on grain bin safety
Entering a grain bin can be risky. Hazards include grain (risk of entrapment), moving parts (like a bin sweep), and poor air quality. Below are the What, Why, Who, When and Where of grain bins and some tips to keep everyone safe. What is a characteristic of a grain bin that could be considered hazardous? […] Read more
Three things essential to farm safety
In safety terms, competency is a combination of training, knowledge, and experience. In industries like construction, developing competency is fairly straightforward — an employer provides structured training, makes sure their employees pass tests and keep records of experience using resumés. On the farm, competency is just as important. A person is competent if they possess […] Read more
Fatigue management during busy times on the farm
Harvest time is one of the busiest times of year. Producers put in long hours and have many tasks on the go at once. Even if everything goes smoothly and there aren’t the dreaded breakdowns or weather delays, there’s still a lot of work to do. With all of this pressure and long hours comes […] Read more
Safely hitching and unhitching farm equipment
One of the most common tasks on the farm is hitching and unhitching equipment. However, hitching causes countless injuries on Canadian farms every year. Injuries can include everything from pinch and crush injuries to blunt trauma to runovers and even rollovers in the case of improper hitching. In terms of lost time and risk of […] Read more
Make hay while the sun shines. But do it safely
Summer is a busy time. Kids are home from school, ongoing farmyard and machinery maintenance is underway, and of course one of the season’s most labour-intensive tasks looms — haying. Beating the weather and getting hay down, dried, baled and hauled is a major undertaking and not without its particular set of hazards. Crush injuries, runovers, rollovers, pinch points, transportation hazards, fall hazards, stress and anxiety — you […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
