Diligence in planning can go a long way in preventing farming and agricultural accidents, according to a study by the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA).
The report stated farming accidents cost Canadians between $200 and $300 million each year.
The information came from a 12-year study by the Canadian Agricultural Injury Reporting program that determined the average cost per hospital-related farm injury was $10,144.
The cost per non-hospitalized incident was $695.
Pre-mature deaths cost $274,573 and permanent disability injuries totalled $142,553.
“A farm safety plan just makes good business sense,” said Marcel Hacault, executive director of the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA). “A written farm safety plan not only protects the health and safety of those working and living on your farm, it also reduces the risk of financial losses resulting from an injury.”
“It’s becoming increasingly important as a business tool to have a farm safety plan,” said Theresa Whalen, a CFA farm safety consultant. “Some companies that are buying the commodity you are selling… want to ensure it was produced in a socially responsible manner.”
Farmers are slowly getting the message as numbers remain high, Whalen said.
“Farmers are starting to realize how much injuries cost,” she said. “For every one dollar of coverage, there’s about five dollars that’s not covered and it’s usually the farmer that pays for that.”
On average, 115 fatalities occur each year across Canada in agricultural accidents. Over 1,500 annual injuries require hospitalization.
“Those are the ones that are reported,” said Whalen. “Many go unreported.”
CASA launched “Plan, Farm, Safety” in March, a three-year program aimed at reducing injuries and deaths in rural settings.
2010 focuses on “Plan,” which promotes safety walks and planning to ensure an accident-free work environment.
The next year “Farm” will direct its efforts towards implementation, documentation and training.
2012, the year of “Safety,” aims at assessing, improving and developing more systems to reduce accidents.
For more information, visit www.planfarmsafety.com
