Tractor Safety
Agriculture continues to rank among the most dangerous industries in North America with far too many fatalities and serious injuries continuing to be recorded every year.
ORCHARD & VINE TRACTOR GUIDE PART 1 – SURVEY
ORCHARD & VINE TRACTOR GUIDE PART 3 – TRACTOR SPECS
It is an ongoing challenge to improve safety in any industry and agriculture is no exception. Among the many approaches to improve safety, at a site, is the Certificate of Recognition program. AgSafe is available to walk with you every step of the way in achieving the WorkSafeBC Certificate of Recognition (COR). COR is a reward for creating, developing and maintaining a culture of safety documented and verifiable in an active and alive health and safety program. It is important to integrate your health and safety activities and the guiding program into all your business processes. Having an effective health and safety management system improves your ability to continuously identify hazards and control risks in your workplace. COR is an incentive program that recognizes and rewards employers for implementing an effective Occupational Health and Safety Program. While there is a regulatory requirement to develop, and maintain a safety program for registered employers, participation in the COR program is voluntary. Employers who successfully participate in the COR program will receive a 10% rebate off the base rate premiums paid to WorkSafeBC in the prior year. Those rates are also affected by your experience rating, the lower that rating the lower your costs. Effective health and safety management systems have been shown to be an effective way to reduce your experience rating.
The benefits of having a successful COR program go far beyond the rebate. Management develop solid and ongoing insight into the requirements of a safety program. What it is, how it works, how it can be a valid part of your business efforts, affecting worker health, safety and well being and your bottom line. Workers participate in the program throughout its inception and development and play a key part in the ongoing culture of safety created. This involvement of workers develops a greater respect and pride for good safety performance.
The program is self audited for small employers, those with 19 and fewer workers and AgSafe will train your auditors. If you are a large employer, 20 and more workers, an external auditor is required to audit your safety program once every three years, a maintenance audit is performed by an AgSafe trained member of your team on the other two years.
Tony DiMaria Orchards recently became the first orchard to achieve COR certification. As a small employer, an internal auditor was trained by AgSafe to conduct the COR audit. AgSafe consultant assisted with preparation for the audit.
AgSafe Consultants and Advisors will help you fill the gaps in your safety program and help you through the process of preparing for a COR audit.
A very important part of any safety program in agriculture is tractor safety. Tractors are a leading source of serious injury and fatalities on farms. Training, risk assessments, hazard awareness as well as regular inspections and maintenance all need to be part of your equipment safety program. Tractor incidents happen quickly and they happen to both experienced and new operators. Operators must be deemed competent to operate any mobile equipment in accordance with part 16 of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations (OSHR) for British Columbia. To help you determine competence AgSafe has tools and will guide you in this process.
Safety Award
Tony DiMaria and Carol Reid
Tony DiMaria indicated the 3 key benefits of the program are:
- Ensuring safety program meets the legislated requirements and all is done to ensure workers have a safe place to work.
- The financial rebate helps offset the investment of time to pull the portions of the program together.
- Ensure program is well documented in case of a tragic event on the farm in the future.
Important safety points for all tractor operators
- Conduct a pre shift inspection
- Use a Roll Over Protective System (ROPS) and seat belt Conduct a thorough risk assessment for the tractor, implement and tasks
- Always start tractor while in the seat
- Keep loads low when travelling
- Always keep an eye out for pedestrians, do not move tractor without eye to eye contact with pedestrian
- No extra riders on tractor, bucket, or forks
- Follow recommended hitching procedures and weight limits
- Turn on level ground whenever possible
- Stay away from soft shoulders
- Ensure brakes are in good condition and properly locked for high speeds
- Use a Slow Moving Vehicle sign, Roll Over Protective System and seat belt on public roads
- Ensure loads are properly secured
- Disengage PTO, turn off tractor and set brake before leaving tractor seat
- Read and observe the safety recommendations and precautions found in the owners manual
For assistance with your safety program please contact your regional AgSafe safety consultant. In the Okanagan call Carol Reid at 250-215-5293, carol@agsafebc.ca, or the AgSafe office toll free at 1-877-533-1789
