Farm Safety
Agriculture is one of Saskatchewan’s largest and most hazardous industries. Incidents occur more often between seeding and harvest, and can cause needless suffering and consequently reduce farm revenues.
On average, 13 people are killed on Saskatchewan farms each year. Of these fatal injuries, 75% involve machinery such as grain trucks, semis, tractors and combines. Most incidents occur in the farm yard and of all serious injuries that happen, 14% involve youth.
(Statistics provided by the Saskatchewan Farm Injury Surveillance Program at the University of Saskatchewan.)
Everyone can do their part to help make Saskatchewan farms safer. Some tips to remember while farming include:
Be sure to replace all guards and shields following maintenance and repairs. A few extra minutes might save your life or a limb.
Watch for overhead lines when moving equipment, augers, bins, and when loading grain trucks and semis.
Ensure employees and others helping on the farm are properly trained.
Change jobs periodically or take a short walk to help you stay focused.
If youth are recruited to help with farming, make sure the activities are age appropriate and the youth are properly trained and supervised.