Our Confined Space Awareness Course Has Launched!
- In 2022, there were at least 83 confined space incidents and, 22 of which were fatal in 2022 and confined space incidents had increased 40.7% since 2021.
- 42 of the incidents were grain-related, which represents the highest number of grain-related incidents in over a decade.
- The 43 remaining incidents involved livestock waste handling, entanglements, falls, and grain dust explosions or fires.
- Why you and your farm team need this course.
- What restricted and confined spaces are, as well as tips to help you identify them.
- Some common hazards and risks of confined spaces, as well as ways they may be controlled.
- Hazardous energy and an introduction to lock out / tag out (LOTO).
- Why you need to be ready to rescue and gain an understanding of what that might look like.
- The roles, responsibilities and training relating to work in confined spaces.
- What a confined space program is.
If you have farm-specific health and safety questions or require support relating to health and safety on your farm, please contact AgSafe Alberta at info@agsafeab.ca.
You may be eligible for onsite farm visits and up to 10 hours of advisor support at no cost!
Join Us in Recognizing Canadian Agricultural
Safety Week
It’s that time of year again when we reflect on farm safety and acknowledge that most farm injuries are both foreseeable and preventable.
Offering all of our paid courses for free until March 31, 2025.
As an added bonus, every course or level of FARMERS CARE completed before the end of March will enter you into a draw to win one of five $100 UFA gift cards!
National Farmer Crisis Line
Is Now Available!
The Canadian Centre for Agricultural Wellbeing (CCAW), in partnership with Farm Credit Canada (FCC), has launched the National Farmer Wellness Network (NFWN) Crisis Line: 1-866-FARMS01 (1-866-327-6701).
The purpose of this crisis line is to provide Canadian farmers, farm families and agricultural workers with access to immediate, no-cost,and confidential mental health support. It achieves this by:
- Providing licensed mental health professionals trained in the Canadian Agricultural Literacy Program (CALP).
- Being designed specifically for farmers and addressing industry-specific stressors.
- Removing barriers to care by providing confidential, culturally informed support.
- An ongoing collaboration with provinces to ensure continuity of care and access to specialized resources.
Please don’t hesitate to use this number or share it with others who could benefit from it.
Does My Farm Require a
Health & Safety Committee or Representative?
Effective Dec. 1, 2021, the part of the Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Code relating to Joint Work Site Health and Safety Committees and Health and Safety Representatives became directly applicable to farming and ranching operations.
If you have:
- 20 or more regularly employed workers, you are required to have a Health and Safety Committee.
- Five to 19 regularly employed workers, you are required to have a Health and Safety Representative.
For more information and to understand this more clearly, refer to Module 8: Health and Safety Committees & Representatives of the free, online AgSafe Alberta FarmSafe Plan Learning Program.
You can also take our Effective Health & Safety Committee Awareness Training and our Effective Health & Safety Representative Awareness Training for FREE until March 31, 2025, and get your name entered into a draw to win one of five $100 UFA Gift Cards!
Benefits of a Health & Safety Committee or Representative
Both employers and workers have a moral and legal responsibility to maintain a safe and healthy work site. Health and safety committees and representatives make this easier through increased communication between workers and employers, as well as overall awareness of health and safety at the workplace.
These roles empower workers to engage in health and safety initiatives and uphold the three fundamental rights of workers:
- The right to know
- The right to participate
- The right to refuse dangerous work
Whether you have a committee or a representative, focus on productive communication, teamwork and positive outcomes. Members and representatives play a crucial role in identifying and resolving health and safety concerns by:
- Inspecting the work site for hazards.
- Working together to find solutions to health and safety concerns through teamwork.
- Investigating the causes of incidents to prevent recurrence.
- Providing input for health and safety policies and safe work procedures.
- Contributing input relating to new employee orientations.
- General promotion of health and safety awareness throughout the work force.
When a health and safety committee or representative is supported and given the opportunity to be effective in their role, the positive results might surprise you.
Train your farm team using our Effective Health & Safety Committee Awareness Training and our Effective Health & Safety Representative Awareness Training for FREE until March 31, 2025! As an added bonus, everyone who completes one of our courses before March 31, 2025 gets their name entered into a draw to win one of five $100 UFA gift cards!
Important note:
Health and Safety Committees and Representatives support health and safety in the workplace but should not be taking on the health and safety responsibilities of supervisors or managers, nor taking the place of the health and safety co-ordinator or advisor, if the farm has one.
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