Safety Training For Young Farm Workers Important

Safety officials are still trying to determine what went wrong on a Carberryarea potato farm where a young worker became entangled in a conveyor last month, but they say the incident underscores the need for ongoing safety training. Carberry RCMP reported Sept. 18 that they were cal led to a farm located west of Carberry

Farm Safety Co-Ordinator Hired By CASA – for Sep. 16, 2010

Provincial farm safety co-ordinator Glen Blahey has retired after a 29-year career with the Manitoba government for a new job with the national Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA). As CASA’s new agricultural health and safety specialist, Blahey will work from the Winnipeg-based CASA office on national farm safety initiatives. CASA is a Canada-wide network of


More Fires Deliberately Set Each Year, Says OFC Chief

“We have a really significant issue with respect to arson in rural Manitoba.” – CHIEF FIRE COMMISSIONER CHRIS JONES Provincial fire officials are urging rural residents to keep their eyes peeled for arsonists in light of a surge in deliberately lit fires in the countryside. “We have a really significant issue with respect to arson

Deliberate Planning Can Create Safer Farm Work Environment

Sheldon Wiebe farmed with his father for years with no significant farm-related injuries. Then a devastating incident changed everything on their MacGregor, Manitoba potato farm. The young daughter of one of the farm’s workers lost her hand and forearm to a potato seed cutting table. She was “helping” her father at the time. The manufacturer’s


KAP Receives Grant To Boost Farm Safety

“This will be quite different than anything we’ve done before because we’ll actually be hiring a couple of people to go to the farms and to work with the farmer and their employees and go through the safety issues right there on the farm.” – KAP PRESIDENT IAN WISHART Farmers who employ workers now have

Burning Permits Needed Into December

Farmers must continue securing permits before burning stubble following the province’s decision last week to extend the requirement to Dec. 4. The province announced the measure last Thursday after receiving complaints from the public about smoke billowing across parts of southern Manitoba and into Winnipeg from fires lit after Nov. 15. That was the last


Mouldy Corn Creates Respiratory Health Hazard

Anyone harvesting, drying or handling mouldy corn should use respiratory protection, according to Ken Hellevang, agricultural engineer with the North Dakota State University Extension Service. The body has natural defence mechanisms, such as coughing and sneezing, that help prevent dust and other particles from entering the lungs. However, the microscopic spores that moulds produce often