Canada’s agricultural industry is one of the top three most hazardous industries in which to work.
According to the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA), while 85 per cent of Canadian producers believe safety is a priority on their farm, less than 10 per cent currently have an agricultural safety plan on their farm or ranch.
“Manitoba Ag Days takes farm safety very seriously and because of this, we have eliminated the Farm Safety Zone from previous shows — and expanded it into the Farm Safety Feature which allows all of the exhibitors in our show to highlight a key safety message or highlight an implement designed specifically with safety in mind,” says Kristen Phillips, Ag Days general manager.
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One major safety event at the show will be the launch of the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association’s grain entrapment education unit — a project Ag Days donated $5,000 towards building last year.
“Manitoba Ag Days and CASA are very pleased to announce that the launch of the grain entrapment trailer will be happening at Manitoba Ag Days,” Phillips said. “There will be demos every hour on the hour at the show. Our board was very much in support of this amazing educational venture.”
According to Safe Manitoba’s website, whether loading, unloading or moving grain, it is very important that workers, family members and visitors to the farm are made aware of the hazards of grain storage bins and know how to protect themselves from flowing grain entrapment. The three most common ways to become caught or trapped in flowing grain are:
- Entrapment in items such as bins, rail cars, grain carts, truck box, combines that contain grain;
- Grain bridge collapse;
- Collapse of a vertical grain wall.
Phillips also said that a Farm Safety workshop will be held this year on Tuesday morning in the MNP Theatre, where speaker reps from CASA and STARS as well as individuals such as Angela Fox and Curtis Weber, a survivor of a horrific farming accident, will stress the importance of farm safety.
