Making farm safety an everyday commitment
/by David Newcombe
This year, the focus of Canadian Agricultural Safety Week (March 13-19) is to inspire farmers, farm families, and farm communities to value farm safety every day. Safety is an ongoing commitment that must be top of mind for those of us living and working on a farm. It’s important for us to keep in mind that farm safety goes beyond just the physical safety of workers; it must also prioritize the mental health and well-being of those who keep our farming operations going.
For more than a decade, the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) has been raising awareness about the importance of safety on Canadian farms through the Canadian Agricultural Safety Week (CASW) campaign. This initiative serves as an opportunity to reflect on the importance of farm safety and provide us producers with the resources we need to make our farms safer.
Every year, Farm Safety Nova Scotia celebrates CASW through campaigns, workshops, and events. I’ll highlight some of the plans for this year’s Ag Safety Week.
AG SAFETY RIBBON
Visit agsafetyweek.ca to find a virtual ag safety ribbon and more! The ribbon symbolizes the importance of farm safety and helps raise awareness. Use the ribbon to start a conversation. It’s for all Canadians, not just farmers. You’re encouraged to share this ribbon on your website and social media pages.
SAFETY GEAR DISCOUNTS
For the past five years, select equipment dealers across the province have offered 20 percent discounts on safety-related items in March. Make sure to visit Tidal Tractor, Central Equipment, and Green Diamond. We thank these partners for all they do to support safe farming practices in Nova Scotia.
MENTAL HEALTH LITERACY
To support mental health and wellness during Ag Safety Week, Farm Safety Nova Scotia will deliver “In the Know” mental health literacy training virtually on March 17, from 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., with our local instructor Dr. Duncan Veasey. This is free! The program’s objective is for participants to understand farmer-specific barriers to accessing mental health resources.
The program identifies the specific struggles of farming, and supports building confidence in recognizing mental health struggles, in talking about mental health, and in helping others. This workshop is designed for farmers, producers, and those who have direct contact with the farming community, such as family members, peers, veterinarians, breeders, seed and feed salespeople, financial institution employees, accountants, and community members.
Visit farmsafetyns.ca/events for more information or to register.
GEAR UP FOR AG
Farm Safety Nova Scotia will also host a “Gear Up for Ag” workshop focusing on the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in agricultural settings. A pre-course survey will help us customize this training specifically to your needs. This workshop will be offered March 15, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. in Truro, although the exact location has yet to be determined.
FARM SAFETY RESOURCES
Looking to get your kids involved in ag safety too? Visit Farm Safety Nova Scotia’s “Farm Safety for Kids” webpage at farmsafetyns.ca/farm-safety-for-kids/ to explore youth work guidelines, for resources provided by the Progressive Agriculture Foundation, to request a copy of our Farm Safety Activity Book, to download colouring pages, and to do some puzzles.
For all other Farm Safety Nova Scotia resources and tools, visit farmsafetyns.ca.
These are just a few of the ways you can get involved in Ag Safety Week this year! Whether you take part in the activities or not, we encourage you all to take time during Ag Safety Week to reflect and look for ways to further improve your farm safety plans. Let’s all come together and show our support as we mitigate risk and make farm safety an everyday commitment.
(David Newcombe is president of Farm Safety Nova Scotia.)
