With the seeding season underway and many farmers hurrying to get their product in the ground, farm safety should be top of mind to avoid any accidents. That's the message of the Saskatchewan Safety Council, which is looking to keep farmers and the general population educated on some of the best practices.
Chief Executive Officer Ryan Jacobson talks about what steps farms have taken in the past to up their safety.
"There are not as many gaps as there used to be decades ago on our farms, with a lot of people having off-farm income or having off-farm jobs throughout their lives. A lot of safety programs have come from construction or from oil and gas or from mining, and sort of migrated into the agriculture industry as well."
Jacobson says that just because many farms operate on private residences, it doesn't mean mandating safe practices is impossible.
"It's actually a bit of a misconception in Saskatchewan that for a lot of people, they think farms are exempt from a lot of our safety laws or regulations, and in fact, that's never been the case in Saskatchewan. Our farms are just as applicable to the Saskatchewan Employment Act and the occupational health and safety regulations as any business is."
While family members may have limited mandates in terms of hours of service or vacation time, Robertson says those come back into full force if a paid employee is in the picture.
"The general one is going to be the Saskatchewan Employment Act, which covers under Part 3 for all employers in Saskatchewan, including farms and ranches and agriculture, that as an employer, as soon as you have a paid employee, you have to ensure, as far as reasonably practical, the health and safety and welfare of those employees, anybody that's being paid on your work site. And you have to work with them. You have to make them aware of their legal rights and responsibilities."
That includes the right to refuse unsafe work and proper training, and supervision.
Robertson says in recent years, they've seen more seasonal employees headed to farms, which means their regulations are more relevant than ever.
"30, 40 years ago, it was a lot more family farms, where now people are having seasonal employees that maybe come from the local area or even seasonal employees that come in from other areas. They all need training on the equipment, training on the hazards for that particular farm, and supervision while they work."
The training includes pre-operation work for any farm equipment being used, such as augers, tractors, air seeders, or combines.
Robertson says that because many seasonal workers can come from non-agricultural backgrounds, farmers need to make sure they're properly teaching people how to operate machinery.
With the speed of work shifting rapidly with the seeding season, Robertson reminds everyone to be extra careful in the case of potential farm accidents.
"A lot of those come down to a combination of factors, which typically include things like fatigue because we're working really long hours, mixed with some emotional anxiety. Sometimes it's mixed with distractions from the same things we see with driving, your cell phone and things like that. And sometimes even a little bit of intoxication, even from things like allergy medication for people that are taking that, that makes them a little drowsy or not quite fully focused."
Robertson reminds all farmers to slow down and take all necessary precautions, even if it's during the busy season.