12 March 3, 2012 - ObserverXtra

THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, MARCH 3, 2012
cAnAdiAn AgRiculTuRAl SAFETY wEEk | MARch 11-17, 2012
Serving you for over 100 Years
1145 Printery Road, St. Jacobs, Ontario
T 519.664.2263 | F 519.664.3369
www.stjacobsprintery.com
The Quality You Demand, the Service You Deserve.
Farm - Auto - Truck - Industrial and we have On-the-farm service
35 Howard Ave. • 519-669-3232
Always lower a portable grain grain auger
before moving it.
Eldale Veterinary Clinic
Bonnie’s
Chick Hatchery Ltd.
Day-old chicks • Started pullets
Broilers • Ready-to-lay
Turkeys • Ducks • Geese
Providing Emergency
and Preventative Health
Care for your Horses,
Pets and
Farm Livestock
150 Church St. W | Elmira | Phone: 519-669-5672
18 Arthur St. N. • 519-669-2561
-A complete line of
quality feeds for Dairy,
Beef, Swine, Poultry and
Horses.
-Animal health products
-Custom nutritional
programs
LOOK UP! Conestogo Tel: 519-664-2237
to Check for Overhead Wires
Mount Forest Tel: 519-323-1880 Tavistock Tel: 519-655-3777
Toll Free: 1-800-265-2203
FARM SAFETY - SPECIAL FEATURE | 23
Tractor rollovers leading cause of farm fatalities
No time to think. No time to
react. It takes about three-quarters of
a second for a tractor to rollover. Accounting
for one in five deaths, tractor
rollovers are the leading cause of farmrelated
fatalities in Canada.
Equipping tractors with a rollover
prevention system or ROPS and ensuring
the operator wears a seatbelt has
been proven to be 99 per cent effective
in preventing death or serious injury in
the event of a tractor rollover. Do all of
your tractors have ROPS?
Rollover protection is one of the safety
strategies in a new farm management
tool called the Canada FarmSafe
Plan developed by the Canadian Agricultural
Safety Association (CASA).
A free download of the core Canada
FarmSafe Plan is available at www.
planfarmsafety.ca .
The Canada FarmSafe Plan supports
the theme Plan • Farm • Safety, a threeyear
focus for the Canadian agricultural
safety campaign. In 2012, emphasis
is on “Safety” including assessment,
improvement and further development
of safety systems. Last year, the
focus was on “Farm” including implementation,
documentation and training.
In 2010, the campaign promoted
“Plan” featuring safety walkabouts and
planning for safety.
The yearlong “Safety” campaign will
be launched with Canadian Agricultur-
al Safety Week (CASW), March 11 to 17.
The Canadian Federation of Agriculture
(CFA) and CASA deliver CASW in
partnership with Farm Credit Canada
(FCC) and Agriculture and Agri-Food
Canada through Growing Forward, a
federal, provincial, territorial initiative.
“New tractors come with ROPS
installed but virtually all makes and
old models of tractors can be retrofitted
with ROPS,” says Marcel Hacault,
CASA executive director.
Male tractor operators aged 50 and
older account for the highest number
of rollover fatalities, reports an article
published in the June issue of Chronic
Diseases and Injuries in Canada. The
report says this is likely because many
older operators use tractors that were
made before manufacturers routinely
installed ROPS, thereby increasing
their likelihood of a fatality during a
rollover.
“Having ROPS is only half of the
equation,” explains Hacault. “The
operator must also be wearing a seatbelt
to stay in the safe area and not be
thrown in harm’s way.”
The most common cause of a sideways
rollover is driving too close to the
edge of a ditch or steep slope. Always
drive at least 1.5 metres away from the
edge of a ditch or steep slope.
Backwards rollovers usually occur
when pulling-out or towing machines,
dragging logs or implements, or removing
stumps or trees. To avoid
backwards rollovers, never hitch a
tow chain above the draw bar of the
tractor.
When it comes to farm safety, ‘use
ROPS and wear a seatbelt’ are words
to live by.
“Serving Agriculture Since 1938”
7293 Line 86 Wallenstein
Phone 519-669-5176
Guelph / Marsville
• Quality Drainage
Systems
• Backhoe Service
GRAIN MARKETING
• Quality Livestock Feed Grain Available
• Sell Us Your On-Farm Stored Crop
CROP SUPPLIES
• Seed • Fertilizer • Crop Protection
• Reliable Recommendations
519-821-1018
519-928-1101
1-800-461-1018
A family tradition since 1921
Wallenstein • 519-669-1440