GrainsWest Spring 2018

12 / 52

Spring 2018 GrainsWest 12
THE FARMGATE BY IAN DOIG
INDUSTRY-LEDSAFETYSOLUTIONS
AGSAFEHELPS FARMERSCREATECUSTOMIZEDPROGRAMS
HANNEKE CAMPS AND HER
husband Michel are safety-conscious
farmers. The couple grows irrigated row
crops near Barnwell, including wheat and
sunflowers, but the harvest and handling
of their potato crop by seasonal employees
gave them the greatest concern. While
their full-time employees are familiar with
equipment and procedures, newly arrived
temporary workers aren’t. “It’s always a
big safety issue,” said Camps.
To address this, she contacted AgSafe
Alberta, a program created by Alberta crop
and livestock producer groups, supported
by funding from Growing Forward 2. The
Alberta Wheat Commission and Alberta
Barley are among the groups that came to-
gether to create the program. AgSafe Alber-
ta has now transitioned into an industry-led
farm and ranch safety association featuring
a board composed of 10 producers repre-
senting crop and livestock groups.
Prior to receiving assistance from
AgSafe, the Camps had incorporated
a safety-training component into their
food-safety program. AgSafe adviser Dan
Trottier visited the farm last fall to discuss
the Camps’s safety needs. “Sometimes
you get those manuals with stuff in them
that is just pushed upon you, and it’s not
of use,” said Camps. Trottier quickly had
a first-draft safety manual ready, and the
three of them further adjusted the pro-
gram. “Now it’s finalized, we feel confi-
dent we can comply with it,” said Camps.
Given the size of the Camps’s operation,
it’s subject to Worker’s Compensation
Board coverage. With the development of
their safety manual, they are now plan-
ning to pursue a Certificate of Recognition
from the province. This entitles farmers to
a deduction in premiums of up to 10 per
cent for their first year and five per cent
for following years. “That’s money in my
pocket,” said Camps.
She’s confident the program is a fit. “It
was really customizable to our farm,” she
said. The process wrapped with Trottier
leading a half-day training session with
the Camps and their employees, some of
whom were inspired to get their first-aid
certification. “We learned there needs to
be communication,” she said. “It’s impor-
tant to talk about the near misses—like a
slip on the ice—so we can take action, and
that doesn’t actually happen.”
Camps believes AgSafe participation
will snowball. “I had a very pleasant
experience. I was a bit nervous about our
first meeting. But there’s no judgment. It’s
farmer-driven.” She was impressed enough
to become an AgSafe director. “I want to
have safe farms, and it’s important the
system is simple and easy to understand.”
Like his fellow AgSafe advisers, Trottier
has a lot of agricultural safety experience
and he also operates his own health, safety
and risk management consulting firm. He
explained that the AgSafe motto is “Your
Safety, Your Way.” Naturally, a ranch or
feedlot with multiple employees has safety
concerns that differ from those of a small
family farm. By either building on existing
programs or creating them from scratch,
AgSafe has assisted farming operations
across the cropping and livestock sectors.
“We’ll help that farm set up a safety pro-
gram that meets their needs and expecta-
tions,” said Trottier. This can involve, for
example, setting up a hazard management
program or emergency response plan.
The building blocks for these compo-
nents are available on the AgSafe web-
site ( as Quickstart Guides.
Farmers can work through the bite-sized
modules on their own, starting small and
building over time. “They’re set up so
they can be self-administered, and when
the farmer needs help, they can give an
adviser a call,” said Trottier.
While changes to provincial farm-
safety legislation that took effect in Janu-
ary of 2016 were met with much antip-
athy, Trottier said farmers and ag-group
leaders have embraced the industry-led
nature of the AgSafe program and it will
continue to provide farmers with safety
tools, resources and services to help them
implement safety strategies.
Photo:AgSafeAlberta
AgSafe Alberta adviser Sherri Marthaller discusses the program’s farmer-driven approach to farm safety.