By Larry Davis, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture
Farms are full of potential risks for families and workers. March 13 to 19 is Canadian Agricultural Safety Week and it’s the perfect time to slow down and think about farm safety. This year, the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association and the Canadian Federation of Agriculture are launching a new, three-year farm safety program called “Be an AgSafe Family.”
The new program recognizes that different messages and materials are needed for different ages – to address the specific farm safety risks for young children, adults and seniors. Over the next three years, the Be an AgSafe Family campaign will focus farm safety messaging on one age group per year. This year, Keeping Kids Safe is the focus. In 2017, it will be farm safety for adults. And in 2018, the focus will be farm safety for seniors.
As part of Keeping Kids Safe, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) reminds the farming community to pause and think about which farm tasks are appropriate for children. How do you know if your son or daughter is old enough to safely help out? The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association has put together a series of quick questions, based on some common farm tasks, to help you figure out if your children, grandchild or relative can safely help you out. The list of 10 most common agricultural tasks for children includes driving a tractor, feeding animals and doing fieldwork with equipment.
Keep farm safety at the top your list as the busy spring season ramps up. And if you are in the Niagara area on March 15, join in the Be an AgSafe Family Day celebrations at the Vineland Research and Innovative Centre to learn more about keeping farm kids safe.
For more information about farm safety and the special resources for Keeping Kids Safe on the farm this year, visit agsafetyweek.ca
Source: OFA