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(submitted photo/Ministry of Agriculture) : D3 Imaging
Agriculture Safety

Safe and strong farms

Mar 12, 2019 | 10:10 AM

Mar. 10 to 16 is Agricultural Safety Week.

Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister David Marit said the focus is on creating safe farms by empowering farmers, farm families and farming communities to build, grow, and lead the agricultural industry in safety and sustainability.

“Self-care is a vital piece of farm safety,” Marit said. “This week serves as an important reminder to take care of ourselves by getting adequate rest, taking breaks and being aware of dangerous areas where we work. Safety should be top of mind, because at the end of the day we all want to come home safely to our families.”

As spring approaches, it’s a great time to think about safety plans on the farm.

Robert Gobeil is the agricultural health and safety specialist with the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association.

“Often winter is the time to look after your staffing concerns. Sometimes people take on new roles, which means they need new training as well,” Gobeil said. “We need to assess who has what level of training and what is required for our operation like first aid, for example.”

Gobeil said it’s also a good time to review the emergency response plan.

“Things change over time, staff changes, maybe our designated first aider has moved on or their training has expired. We want to make sure we take the time to review that and implement the appropriate training and make sure everyone is safe at the end of the day.”

alice.mcfarlane@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @AliceMcF

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