The Agricultural Alliance of New Brunswick (AANB), WorkSafeNB and the New Brunswick Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries invite you to recognize Canadian Agricultural Safety Week (CASW) 2017 by committing to providing healthy and safe environments for everyone who lives on, works on or visits farms.
Canada is the fifth-largest agricultural exporter in the world and Canadian farmers are world leaders in quality food production. Unfortunately, an average of 84 Canadians are killed each year in agriculture-related incidents. Last year, in our province,130 workers were injured from agriculture-related job tasks. This must stop. We need our farmers to stay healthy and be safe so they can continue to grow quality food for a growing world.
You can make a difference on your farm. Create a plan, one that makes safety the priority of your farming operations. As world leaders, Canada’s farmers deserve to have the safest and most productive farms possible. This week, make a commitment to your farm, your family and yourself.
“Your government recognizes the importance of agriculture to the New Brunswick economy, with 13,000 New Brunswickers employed in the sector and $1.2 billion in revenues each year,” said Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries Minister Rick Doucet. “I encourage all producers and stakeholders to join with the Agricultural Alliance of New Brunswick in promoting farm safety not just this week, but every week.”
Death of a family member or employee has devastating effects, said Alliance’s president Mike Bouma.
“Safety may not be top of mind during our daily lives on the farm. We get busy and sometimes rush and forget that safety should always be our top priority. It is too late to take action after a loved one is lost or injured due to a farm accident. I want to encourage all New Brunswick producers to commit to safety on their farm and start doing so by developing a general health and safety policy for your farm and communicating the plan with everyone who lives on, works on and visits the farm,” Bouma said.
WorkSafeNB works closely with New Brunswick farmers and producers, offering safety expertise and resources. It also partners with the Progressive Agriculture Foundation to host four safety days for Grades 4-6 children throughout the province.
“New Brunswick farms are often family-run,” said Tim Petersen, WorkSafeNB’s acting president and CEO. “The Progressive Agriculture Safety Day events are a way for us to instill safety awareness and leadership in children who grow up in rural regions. Our hope is they maintain and share this awareness throughout their lives.”
Safety tips:
The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association also has a toolkit and other resources to help producers establish a policy statement and address topics such as safely handling cattle, all-terrain operation on farm property and basic tractor operation.
For more information on farm safety, visit fermenbfarm.ca, worksafenb.ca and casa-acsa.ca.
The Agricultural Alliance of New Brunswick (AANB) is the voice of this province’s farmers. In 2006, the Agriculture Producers’ Association and the Federation des agriculteurs et agricultrices francophones du Nouveau Brunswick merged to form the AANB, a grassroots, bilingual organization of farmers working for farmers.
WorkSafeNB is committed to preventing workplace injuries and illness through education and the enforcement of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. WorkSafeNB administers no-fault workplace accident and disability insurance for employers and their workers, funded solely through employer assessments and governed under the Workers’ Compensation Act and the Firefighters’ Compensation Act.
Media contacts:
– Mike Bouma, president, Agricultural Alliance of New Brunswick, 506 452-8101
– Jean Bertin, communications officer, Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture & Fisheries/Department of Energy and Resource Development, 506 444-5298