Safety doesn’t just happen. You have to work at it. The first step is to recognize something as a hazard and then act to correct it. Too often we let hazards exist all around us while we become complacent. If something hasn’t caused a problem in the past, it might just sit there, unnoticed, until it plays a part in a tragedy.
Canada’s Workplace Safety & Prevention Services created a detailed checklist aimed at getting family farmers to think about safety. It covers broad topics, asking users to answer “yes” or “no” to a number of questions. A no answer indicates the need for further attention to correct a situation that might lead to an accident or personal injury.
The following list is a sampling from the checklist. It’s a good starting point for developing an effective farm safety plan. The entire checklist, which includes more than 150 questions, is available here. It’s a best practice to complete the checklist at least annually to account for changes that occur during the year and affect safety in the workplace.
Visit the WSPS website for more resources to assist you in keeping your family farm safe. The following information has been reproduced with permission from Workplace Safety & Prevention Services.
This story originally appeared in the September/October 2017 issue of Hobby Farms.
