By Vanessa Renaud, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture

It’s been a deadly year so far for farm-related accidents on Ontario roads and farms – you only have to follow the news to see tragic stories make headlines. It can be hard to remember sometimes that behind every news story are victims, families and communities who lives have been torn apart, but that’s precisely why making safety a priority is so important.

I’m part of my family’s farm business in Eastern Ontario, and I also work with many fellow farmers in my region as a Certified Crop Advisor. I’m also a director on the provincial board of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture.

As we enter the height of summer and the beginning of harvest season for many of Ontario’s major crops, it’s important to take a look at what we can do to keep ourselves and other safe – on-farm, at work and on our roads.

The good news is that Ontario farmers are being proactive about safety. For the last number of years, county and regional federations of agriculture across the province have been leading local projects focused on safety of all kinds – from road safety and slow-moving vehicle awareness to first aid, CPR and grain bin extraction training.

These projects all have local champions who have identified a need in their communities and together with matching funding from OFA’s Revive Fund as well as support from other partners, have taken the lead in bringing these vitally important projects to life.

This year, for example, local federations in Dundas, Lanark and Leeds are offering or have offered first aid and CPR training to their members. I just completed mine and you feel so much more confident afterwards, both in how to keep yourself safe and how to respond in case of an emergency.

Federations in Huron, Simcoe and Oxford are supporting grain bin extraction units or training for local first responders, and in Rainy River and Peterborough, the focus is on road safety projects to raise awareness about slow moving vehicles and sharing the road.

The Revive Fund was first launched in 2021, and many other local federations have already completed these types of projects (and many others) in previous years – with more than $1.2 million invested in local community-building projects to date.

To put it simply, farm safety is a big deal. It involves how we deal with equipment, animals, fertilizers and chemicals and more, and helps us avoid accidents, injuries and death. Key areas include:

Machinery: proper training for operators is important, as is regular maintenance to ensure equipment works the way it should. Pay attention when operating machinery, don’t be distracted or cut corners and use gloves and shields when necessary.

Chemicals and fertilizers: read and follow the labels for proper use, handling and storage of fertilizers and farm chemicals. Wear gloves when working around these products and use masks when necessary.

Livestock: know animal behaviour, and adjust how you handle livestock accordingly. Make sure your fences are sturdy so your livestock doesn’t get out and cause damage or pose a risk to others.

Kids: keep children away from dangers, assign them age-appropriate tasks and make sure they understand what they need to do to keep safe.

Health: manage fatigue and stress to decrease the risk of errors, especially during particularly busy times like planting or harvest.

Environment: be prepared for extreme weather, monitor fire hazards and make sure you safely dispose chemicals and other farm products.

Emergency preparedness: keep fire extinguishers and a first aid kit in your tractor, combine, pick up truck and buildings. Know your emergency contacts and tell someone if you’ll be working in an area with low or no cell service. It was local federations of agriculture who helped lead the Emily project – the installation of 911 numbers on farm fields so first responders can find people in case of emergency.

Unsafe conditions lead to accidents that deeply affect families and impact communities and at a higher level, also threaten farm production and our food supply. We all know safety is important and how easy it is to overlook it, but during this busy time of year, let’s refocus on it before another accident happens.

More information about the Revive Fund is available at ofa.on.ca/revive-fund. OFA also has farm safety-related items available in its online store, including high visibility safety vests and road safety signage at store.ofa.on.ca/collections/all.

 

For more information, contact:

Tyler Brooks
Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations
Ontario Federation of Agriculture
519-994-2578
comms@ofa.on.ca