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Farm fatality occurs in Alberta

Man was operating a propane-fired torch

By Diego Flammini, Farms.com

Only weeks into 2016 and Alberta’s farming community is mourning the loss of one of their own.

A 63-year-old man died on his farm in Consort, Alberta, approximately three hours away from Edmonton, after a propane tank exploded; the tank was being used to operate a torch.

An air ambulance was called to the scene but told to stand down because the patient didn’t require transportation.

Canada saw a number of farm-related incidents in 2015, including:

In October, Catie Bott, 13 and her sisters Dara and Jana, both 11, being buried under canola seed while playing at their family farm in Withrow, Alberta.

A 10-year-old boy died after losing control of a forklift on a gravel road near Killam, Alberta in November.

In Ontario, a four-year-old boy died in July when a tractor tire fell on him at a farm east of Mount Forest.

According to Canadian Agricultural Injury Reporting:

  • 248 children (under 15 years old) died due to agriculture-related injuries between 1990 and 2008.
  • 81%, or about 200 of the victims, were boys.
  • 1,008 adults (15-59 years old) died as a result of agriculture-related injuries between 1990 and 2008.
  • 92%, or about 927 of the victims were male, and 42% of the victims were the owner/operator.

Join the discussion and tell us about some of the farm safety tips employed on your farm. What’s some advice you can share with others to ensure all who work at or visit a farm are as safe as they can be?


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