Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

Farm Safety

Table of Contents

1. Farm Safety Resources for Children and Parents
2. Farm Safety for Farmers and Workers
1. Farm Machinery and Equipment
2. Farm Chemicals, Contaminants and Hazardous Gases
3. Farm Buildings and Storage
3. Rights and Responsibilities of Farmers and Farm Workers

How safe is your farm?

There are many potential dangers on farms that can cost you and your business. This web page provides a list of resources to help you plan ahead to prevent accidents and to protect your family, your employees and your livestock.

Farm Safety for Children and Parents

Children are vulnerable to farm dangers. There are resources available that can help you ensure their safety.

Helpful Resources

• North American Guidelines for Children's Agricultural Tasks (NAGCAT) provides comprehensive information on hazards, checklists, recommended supervision and adult responsibilities when it comes to farm tasks for children.
• Equimania! has a farm safety quiz, virtual tours, and games and puzzles for kids
• Workplace Safety & Prevention Services offers a list of resources to help you keep children safe on your farm
• 4-H Ontario offers several farm safety projects for children and youth

Farm Safety for Farmers and Workers

There are safety risks in all aspects of farm operations. Learning how to manage these risks is important to protecting lives, preventing accidents and keeping your farm safe.

Farm Machinery and Equipment

The following resources give an overview of how to safely operate farm machinery:

• How the Farm Implements Act Protects You: Your Rights and Responsibilities Relating to Farm Machinery
• The Required Decals for Used Farm Implements web page lists the decals required for different types of farm equipment
• The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs' (OMAFRA) Farm Generators: Making Connections the Safe Way Factsheet explains how to safely use farm generators as emergency back-up systems
• Workplace Safety & Prevention Services has extended lists of resources and factsheets that you can use on your farm and with your employees
• The Ministry of Labour's Occupational Health and Safety Guidelines for Farming Operations in Ontario highlights farm hazards, and helps employers, workers and others to recognize and deal safely with these hazards
• The Ministry of Labour's Alert: Sweep Augers in Silos on Farms web page gives information on safely working with sweep auger equipment in silos
• The Ministry of Transportation's Farm Equipment on the Highway web page explains how to safely drive farm equipment on Ontario's roadways

Farm Chemicals and Contaminants

These OMAFRA factsheets will help you manage hazardous chemicals and gases used and/or produced by your operation:

• Hydrogen Sulphide in Agricultural Biogas Systems
• Hazardous Gases on Agricultural Operations
• Methane Gas in Hog Barns

The University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus administers the Ontario Pesticide Education Program, offering certification and training on pesticide safety.

Farm Buildings and Storage

OMAFRA has many resources that can help you to plan for safer farm buildings and storages.

Build Safe Farm Structures

• The Engineering Requirements for Farm Structures Factsheet provides guidance on key design considerations for farm structures and outlines situations where further engineering design may be required for your project
• The Farm Pesticide Storage Facility Factsheet describes the best management practices to consider when building pesticide storage facilities on your farm

Preventative Maintenance for Farm Structures

• The Preventive Maintenance for Farm Structures web page identifies factors that affect a structure's stability, and provides tips for maintenance and inspection
• The Deterioration of Concrete Tower Silos Factsheet discusses the risks of using old tower silos and how to identify deterioration
• The Corrosion of Roof Truss Gusset Plates in Farm Buildings Factsheet offers guidance on maintaining metal truss gusset plates in your farm buildings
• The Information about Environmental Management Concerns with Grain Bins and Silos Converted for Dry Grain Storage web page explains how to inspect grain bins and silos for damage before removing grain

Reduce the Risk of Fire

• The Reducing the Risk of Fire on Your Farm book examines the main causes of farm building fires and what you can do to minimize risks
• The Barn Fires - A Concern for Ontario Farmers web page describes the common causes of barn fires and some ways to help prevent them
• A checklist to help you assess your risk of barn fire
• The Silo and Hay Mow Fires on Your Farm Factsheet and Spontaneous Combustion and Hay Fires web page explain how you can reduce the risk of silage and hay fires caused by spontaneous combustion
• The Electrical Systems in Barns Factsheet provides information on how an electrical system can start a fire, regulations and barn electrical maintenance practices.
• There are many resources that can help farmers inspect and monitor their operations to reduce the risk of a fire. Visit ontario.ca/preventfarmfires to find helpful resources.
  

Rights and Responsibilities of Farmers and Farm Workers

It is important to know what is expected on the farm, both as an employer and as an employee. Here are some links that will help farmers and employees to know their rights and responsibilities, and other helpful resources.

• OMAFRA has gathered a list of Frequently Asked Questions for Farming Operations concerning the Occupational Health and Safety Act to help answer some common questions
• OMAFRA Human Resources Links provide resources for employee protection, guidance on how the Occupational Health and Safety Act affects farm operators, and answers to frequently asked questions
• The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association promotes farm safety and offers many resources to help you make your farm safe, including teaching kits and the Canada FarmSafe Plan, a safety planning program for Canadian farmers
• The Ministry of Labour has many resources that provide general information about safety awareness, as well as resources specific to safety on farms:
  • The Worker Health and Safety Awareness in 4 Steps and the Supervisor Health and Safety Awareness in 5 Steps training programs introduce the Occupational Health and Safety Act to employers and employees
  • Farming Operations/Agriculture offers a list of resources about the Occupational Health and Safety Act for farming operations
  • The Guide to the Occupational Health and Safety Act for Farming Operations outlines the rights of farm workers, the duties of employers and other health and safety rules for the farm
  • The Agricultural Workers web page gives specific information on the rights of farm workers in Ontario
  • The Prevention Starts Here poster, available for download in multiple languages, outlines the health and safety responsibilities of both employers and employees