FARMERS CARE provides resources to grow farm safety culture in Alberta
AgSafe Alberta unveils "first of its kind" farm safety program
CALGARY, AB, March 14, 2022 /CNW/ - AgSafe Alberta is proud to officially unveil the FARMERS CARE program, which features practical and simple ways to help farmers and ranchers seamlessly integrate safety into their day-to-day lives and build safety cultures within their operations.
"We are so pleased to make this first-of-its-kind safety program available to farmers and ranchers," said AgSafe Alberta chair Erna Ference, from her farm near Black Diamond, AB. "We wanted FARMERS CARE to be a simple way to get a safety journey started, while still having a major impact on the way we think about hazards on the farm."
The name "FARMERS CARE" is an acronym that represents the eleven most common types of farm incidents – all of which are detailed on AgSafeAB.ca.
The harsh reality in Canada is that farm owner/operators are the most likely to be seriously injured or die on the farm – followed by their children, and their employees. Unfortunately, the available data shows us that on-farm incidents that result in injury or death are caused by the same factors and conditions, year after year.
"Each letter of the FARMERS CARE acronym and its corresponding symbol represent lifesaving opportunities that can be easily incorporated as farm safety values," added AgSafe Alberta executive director Jody Wacowich. "We developed a program that was easy to use, practical, and accessible across the province as a way to help make safety standard on farming and ranching operations."
The first level of FARMERS CARE, available on AgSafeAB.ca, starts by guiding users through the process of identifying common agricultural hazards. It then provides practical examples to control the hazards, while introducing basic health and safety concepts along the way.
Once completed, farms and ranches can continue with additional AgSafe Alberta certification programs based on the size, scale and number of employees within their operation.
AgSafe Alberta is the health and safety association for agricultural producers in our province. As an industry-led organization, AgSafe Alberta works with and supports farms and ranches of all types and sizes in becoming safer places to live, work and grow up on.
SOURCE AgSafe Alberta
For further information: Jody Wacowich, Executive Director, AgSafe Alberta, [email protected], 403.219.7901
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