Farm safety requires all partners working together

As I travel the three counties of our riding, I remain amazed by our agricultural diversity.  Students, adults, and migrant workers have flooded onto many local farms to bring in the harvest.  This raises the important issue of farm safety.

Several years ago, I served as President of the Norfolk Farm Safety Association.  Then – as now – farm workers were at greater risk for accidents and injuries than workers in other fields.  As well, one would never see a child playing at a steel mill or a construction site – but children often mow the grass in kiln-yards or help out on the hay wagons.  This raises the need to be constantly vigilant to prevent accidents and injuries.

Recently, the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) was amended to cover farm labour.  These changes impose a number of new duties on farmers, their employees, and their supervisors.  As a summary, farmers must ensure that all equipment and personal protective equipment are in good repair, provide safety information to their workers, and take all reasonable precautions to protect workers from injury and accidents. 

For their part, workers must comply with health and safety rules, wear personal protective equipment, use all equipment properly, and report hazards to their employer.  The bottom line is that farm workers now have the right to refuse work they believe is unsafe.

In Ontario, workers have long had the safety-net provided by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB).  Over the years, WSIB has accumulated over $6 billion of stranded debt.  With the inclusion of farms in labour laws, farmers are now required to make payments to this stranded debt.  The average premium for all industries in Ontario is $2.26 for every $100 of income.  These premiums fluctuate based on the safety record of each employer.

With all of these changes in labour legislation, there are a number of carrots and sticks promoting farm safety.  In addition to our universal desire to be safe at work, unsafe farms now face the prospect of higher WSIB premiums and penalties under the OHSA.

One of the most serious – but often overlooked – safety concerns actually happens off the farm and on the roads.  Let’s not forget that migrant workers rely on bicycles to get to a payphone to call home – often after sundown.  Unfortunately, this sometimes results in fatal accidents, as unsuspecting motorists collide with cyclists.

At present, there are a number of important local initiatives to reduce the risk of night-time collisions between motorists and migrant workers.  In addition to safety videos and information posters, free reflective tape is being provided workers to better illuminate themselves at night.

We all have a role to play in maintaining safety.  I encourage farmers to keep their migrant workers informed on bicycle safety issues, as well as equipping them with the proper reflective equipment.  As well, motorists should be extra vigilant while driving at night.  Combined, this could dramatically improve safety for all parties.

The bottom line in farm safety is that common sense should always prevail.  Government can pass legislation – but it cannot protect people from themselves.  Safety is ultimately a choice, be it on the road, in the barnyard, or in the kiln-yard.  Unsafe behaviour ultimately results in accidents and injuries – which are much worse than tickets and fines.