Canadian Agricultural Safety Week aimed at making safety a year-round focus

Canadian Agricultural Safety Week ran March 15 to 21, with organizers urging farmers, ranchers, workers and rural communities to make farm safety a year-round focus.

The annual campaign was led by the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association and was aimed at raising awareness about the risks in agriculture and the importance of prevention on farms and ranches across the country.

CASA said the week promoted the message that safety is directly tied to the success and long-term sustainability of farming operations.

According to Canadian Agricultural Injury Reporting data, 2,814 agriculture-related fatalities were recorded in Canada between 1990 and 2020.

Sandra Miller, CASA’s executive director, said agriculture remained one of the most hazardous industries, but those dangers should not simply be accepted.

She said preventable risks must be addressed through practical safety measures and a stronger culture of prevention on farms.

Miller said every life lost in a farming accident was one too many and that Canadian Agricultural Safety Week was intended to help producers, families and workers make farms safer places to live, work and visit.

She said the campaign was also meant to reinforce that farm safety should not be limited to one week each year, but treated as an everyday responsibility.