By Larry Davis, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture
Farms are full of potential risks for families and workers. March 13 to 19 is Canadian Agricultural Safety Week and it’s the perfect time to slow down and think about farm safety. This year, the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association and the Canadian Federation of Agriculture are launching a new, three-year farm safety program called “Be an AgSafe Family.” The new program recognizes that different messages and materials are needed for different ages – to address the specific farm safety risks for young children, adults and seniors. Over the next three years, the Be an AgSafe Family campaign will focus farm safety messaging on one age group per year. This year, Keeping Kids Safe is the focus. In 2017, it will be farm safety for adults. And in 2018, the focus will be farm safety for seniors. As part of Keeping Kids Safe, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) reminds the farming community to pause and think about which farm tasks are appropriate for children. How do you know if your son or daughter is old enough to safely help out? The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association has put together a series of quick questions, based on some common farm tasks, to help you figure out if your children, grandchild or relative can safely help you out. The list of 10 most common agricultural tasks for children includes driving a tractor, feeding animals and doing fieldwork with equipment. Keep farm safety at the top your list as the busy spring season ramps up. And if you are in the Niagara area on March 15, join in the Be an AgSafe Family Day celebrations at the Vineland Research and Innovative Centre to learn more about keeping farm kids safe. For more information about farm safety and the special resources for Keeping Kids Safe on the farm this year, visit agsafetyweek.ca For more information, contact: Larry Davis Director Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-758-7693 Neil Currie General Manager Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-821-8883
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By Bruce Webster, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture
Ontario’s economy runs on our roads. The goods produced and manufactured in Ontario spend some time in transit along our roadways. We need good roads and sound infrastructure to conduct business in Ontario. Ontario farmers rely on roadways every day to transport farm inputs and products, and move large farm equipment. But improperly designed infrastructure can be a significant problem for farmers. The sheer size of modern farm equipment and farm vehicles require specific considerations and provisions when designing infrastructure. The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) regularly monitors Ministry of Transportation (MTO) developments and changes as they impact farm businesses. We also rely on feedback from our grassroots member to help identify any concerns with regulations, roadway developments and enforcement. OFA is currently addressing four concerns that impact farm businesses and roadway travel with the Ministry of Transportation.
For more than 15 years Ontario farmers have relied on the Farm Guide as a single source of reference for regulations governing farm vehicles on the road. OFA has learned that MTO is planning to remove this resource from their website and replace it with a series of links. OFA will be addressing this with ministry staff, requesting the continuation of the Farm Guide as an essential reference guide for Ontario farm businesses and for enforcement officers. Self-propelled implements of husbandry, without plates, are permitted to travel on roads for farm use under the Highway Traffic Act. Some Ontario farmers are now using telehandlers on the farm. Telehandlers are self-propelled farm vehicles, but reports from our members show MTO enforcement personnel are not recognizing them as permitted farm vehicles. OFA is asking ministry staff to clarify the use of telehandlers as farm vehicles with their enforcement staff to eliminate further confusion on the roads. OFA reminds MTO and municipalities that highway trucks aren’t the largest vehicles on the road. Large farm vehicles regularly travel our roadways and should always be accounted for in roadway and infrastructure planning. The current MTO design standards for roundabouts may not accommodate all farm vehicles. OFA reminds MTO to share the road – roundabouts intended for roads in agricultural areas need to be designed to safely accommodate both large trucks and large farm vehicles. MTO’s plans to upgrade the current Colonel Talbot Road/Highway 4 and Highway 401 interchange near London by removing the Glanworth Drive bridge over the 401 will create safety hazards. Large, slow moving farm vehicles and loads of processing vegetables currently travel the bridge to move farm equipment over Highway 401. Removing the bridge will force farmers to travel other highways, creating obvious road safety hazards over longer routes. OFA is talking to MTO about this planning oversight, advocating directly for members that could be impacted by this construction. Ontario farmers depend on well planned, safe and accessible roadways to conduct business. Farm vehicles must be considered at every point of infrastructure planning. Our large vehicles and equipment are often wider, taller and longer that anything else travelling on the road. OFA looks forward to moving these issues forward with MTO, keeping our roadways open for farm businesses. For more information, contact: Bruce Webster Director Ontario Federation of Agriculture 705-786-2792 Neil Currie General Manager Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-821-8883 |
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