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Farm Safety Inspections 101: Workplace Safety & Health inspection overview
Do you ever wonder about on-farm inspections from Workplace Safety & Health (WSH) and what types of things they look for? At KAP’s July 27 Summer Advisory Council meeting, Deb Draper from (WSH) presented regarding on-farm safety inspections and what producers should expect when officers arrive on farms to carry out inspections. This presentation outlined the powers of a Safety & Health Officer, the protocols they follow when coming to farms, and trends in unsafe practices that had been documented over the past year’s inspections. These included issues associated with safeguarding equipment on machines, powered mobile equipment, and general safety duties. For the full presentation, click here.

Everybody wants to be cool - here’s how!

With hot summer temperatures come safety challenges. It is not uncommon for people working outdoors to experience heat stress from warm temperatures. Heat stress is the body’s inability to control its internal temperature and can result in serious illness or death. Being in high temperature, humidity, direct sun or heat can put you and your workers at risk for heat stress. Additionally, the physical condition of a worker can vary greatly and the tolerance for heat is different for everyone. Symptoms can range from headache, dizziness, and being tired or weak, all the way to becoming unconscious or having seizures. To prevent this, always monitor yourself and co-workers, take rest breaks and drink water when thirsty, and try working in the shade wherever possible. For more information and a handy downloadable tip sheet from SAFE Work MB you can print out to post on your farm’s safety notice board, click here.