News
Governments invest in Manitoba farm safety program

The Canada and Manitoba governments are investing more than $432,000 over two years to help Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) establish a new program to provide practical, on-farm expertise, resources and training to enhance on-farm safety.

“The Government of Canada supports workplace safety and encourages farmers and farm workers to adopt best practices,” said Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay in a press release. “This investment will provide the tools and training needed to reduce the risk of injury and ensure everyone at the farming operation remains safe.”

The farm safety program will offer access to agriculture industry-specific information to ensure agriculture employers understand the regulations, rights and responsibilities around safe workplaces and to identify safety risks on their farms.

Services will include:

• information and resources on health and safety regulations, risk-specific tip sheets and signage and basic safety orientation for farm workers, supervisors and owners;
• on-site safety advisors who will work directly with farm businesses to identify and address farm risks;
• commodity-specific farm safety workshops; and
• safety awareness training for farm workers and supervisors, as well as hazard-specific training.

The program will be administered by KAP, with leadership and guidance provided by a Manitoba farm safety council. It will include representatives from a number of agriculture stakeholders, as well as organizations focused on workplace safety and health.

SAFE Work Manitoba is a project partner and will provide funding, expertise and other resources to support the initiative.

Work to establish the program will begin immediately. Funding will be provided through the Growing Forward 2 – Growing Actions program, which supports industry-led initiatives to increase competitiveness and develop innovative solutions for agricultural organizations.

November 7, 2016  By Top Crop Manager