Canadian Agricultural Safety Week Launch Events in Olds, Alberta

OLDS, AB, Feb. 27, 2014 /CNW/ - The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) and the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) are pleased to announce they will be launching Canadian Agricultural Safety Week (CASW) in Olds, Alberta this year.

CASW is a national, public education campaign focusing on the importance of safe agriculture. The campaign takes place every year in the third week of March. This year, the theme for CASW is "Let's Talk About It!"—which encourages producers to engage in conversations about safety.

On Tuesday, March 11, 2014, CASA and CFA are teaming up with Ag for Life and Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development (ARD) to host Let's Talk About It! launch activities including a luncheon with speeches from farm safety champions and testimonials from Alberta farmers, and a half-day training session on best practices in safety orientation for seasonal and migrant workers. Both events are free to the public.

"These launch activities reinforce the theme of Canadian Agricultural Safety Week—"Let's Talk About It!"—by showcasing producers who have lived through injuries or are making innovations for safety on their farm, as well as offering training on how to talk about safety with new workers," says Marcel Hacault, Executive Director of CASA.

"Agriculture is the second largest industry in Alberta and an important part of our way of life, so we see the safety of all those involved as a high priority," says David Sprague, CEO of Ag for Life. "Encouraging our farm families and communities to talk about safety during CASW is a great way to raise the awareness of keeping everyone safe; that's why we'll be hosting three youth Safety Days, in Iron Springs, Olds and Grande Prairie in support of CASW. We encourage all those who share our goal of safety to join us."

Humphrey Banack sits on the board of the Alberta Federation of Agriculture and is the Vice-President of CFA and will speak at the launch about his experience implementing a health and safety plan on his farm as part of an ARD pilot project supported by CASA. "Terry and I are looking forward to sharing the process we went through of putting safety measures in place on our farm. We hope to provide a practical approach to farm safety and look forward to discussing what works and what doesn't with those at the launch."

"Ensuring the safety of seasonal and other temporary foreign workers may offer some unique challenges to employers due to language barriers and differences in farming techniques between here in Canada and their home country," says Alan Dooley, Agriculture Recruitment Specialist with ARD.

To learn more or register: www.agsafetyweek.ca.

CASW partners/sponsors include the Government of Canada through Growing Forward 2, a federal, provincial and territorial initiative, Farm Credit Canada, Ag for Life, Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, CHS, Imperial Oil and Pioneer Hi-Bred Limited.

Image with caption: "CASW partners/sponsors include the Government of Canada through Growing Forward 2, a federal, provincial and territorial initiative, Farm Credit Canada, Ag for Life, Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, CHS, Imperial Oil and Pioneer Hi-Bred Limited. (CNW Group/Canadian Agricultural Safety Association)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20140227_C8058_PHOTO_EN_37324.jpg

SOURCE: Canadian Agricultural Safety Association

For further information:

Michelle French Lancaster, CASA Communications, 1-877-452-2272; [e-mail]