A Scholarly Journey in the Art of Safety

For all you punks and punksters out there, I would like to start this blog by offering you something powerful and versatile, that will titillate and tantalize your knowledgeable noggin ; here is my finest and most finessed, un-pun : most accidents are preventable.

Now that you have had some comic relief, please allow me to segway into our safety workshop. On this day (March 8), we had a guest visit us from Ag Safe BC, Tj, as he asked us to call him, teaches safety but is not responsible for enforcement, and neither is the organization that he represents. Ag Safe was created for training and consultation on safety issues within the agriculture industry, but not act as a watchdog or whistle blower.

In the first part of the workshop, Tj gave us a very brief history of the safety scene in the agriculture industry and the creation of Ag Safe BC. Basically, Worksafe BC has been around since 1917 (100 years) but agriculture has been exempt from its policies and protections.(1) In the late part of the 20th century (1994 or 95), a smoking regulation at work was created that also applied to agriculture. However, it was not until the early 2000's that agriculture has been included in Worksafe BC (although some farmers were reluctant for this change to occur). Ag Safe BC, formerly Farsha, has actually been around since 1993.(2)

In the second part, we reviewed the worker orientation checklist, which we are required to have reviewed before operating any equipment (if you were not able to make it that day, please check with Mike to review safety procedures). By the way, the worker orientation is also available in Spanish, Punjabi, and Vietnamese, in addition to English (follow the link above). Below I have listed any notes that I took for each item on this checklist using the same topic number, and if topic number has sub-topics I have listed these as a), b), etc even though sub topics are not lettered in the original document.

1.The worker orientation is mandatory for all workers, and must be completed with the supervisor - this ensures that workers actually know whom there supervisor is. Check each item off once discussed.

2. Rights and Responsibilities

• a) Every one has the right to a safe workplace, and and responsibility to maintain a safe workplace. If these rights or responsibilities are being violated one has the right to seek guidance from Ag Safe (for mediation), or he/she may communicate directly to Work Safe. 
• b) Sometimes workers are hesitant to voice concerns, or they do not fully understand their rights. 
• c) In the past, health and safety policy has been reactive, now it is more proactive. 
• d) Bullying and harassment is a recent addition (2014).

3. Health and Safety Rules, in the context of the agro-ecosystem class:

• Wear closed toed shoes, steel toed shoes (CSA rated) are encouraged 
• Tractor users are required to wear steel toed shoes (CSA rated)
• Bring adequate water and food for the day
• Wear gloves (supplied by the program)
• Wear/use adequate sunscreen, hat, and clothing for sun protection
• When a tractor is in use, everyone is responsible for safety, not just the operator

4. Known Hazards and How to Deal with Them, in the context of the agro-ecosystem class:

• When pesticides are to be used, the re-entry period must be observed
• For certification purposes, only certified organic pesticides are allowed in the Orchard or at TFN, so pesticide use will be limited.

5. Safe Work Procedures, in the context of the agro-ecosystem class:

• Must use personal protective equipment (PPE) when necessary (eg: handling pesticides)
• Must lift with legs, not back (when lifting, squat first, grab item and then carefully stand up straight).

6. Procedure for Working Alone or in Isolation.

• Must check in a worker every 30 mins. (or more frequently)
• Tj told us of a story, where a man working alone in a cranberry field had a heart attack, fell to his knees, and drowned.

7. Measure to Reduce Risk of Violence

• Diffuse the situation, do not let it escalate.

8. PPE

• If equipment is in bad condition, notify supervisor.
• Follow manufacture instructions for storage and cleaning
• Example: workers have used rubber gloves for handling pesticides, not cleaned them properly, and the pesticide residue has dried into a powder. The powder can then contaminate the hand of the workers, and they are at risk of ingesting pesticides.

9. First Aid

• a) Security station let of parking lot doors
• b) First aid kit found at the security station or in the shed at the orchard. Must observe 15 min. of continuous rinse in case of eye contamination
• c) Report accidents, even if they seem small, as they good get worse - this action guarantees a paper trail in case Worksafe claims must be made

10. Emergency Procedures

• a) Inside, look for EXIT signs, also emergency #s posted beside each classroom door. Outside many exits.
• b) In newer buildings, closing doors can contain a fire for 2-4 hours
• c) If you do not how to use a fire extinguisher, don't bother with it. It only takes 20 seconds of smoke inhalation to die.
• d) Go to meeting point. In case of an earthquake keep away from objects that could fall.

11. Occupational Health and Safety Program

• The paperwork is only a blueprint, the safety program must be actively implemented.

12. Hazardous Materials and WHMIS

• a)Internationally, we are moving towards a global system (Globally Harmonized System)
• Training in Canada is done under the name WHMIS 2015 (3)
• CCOHS has a free introductory WHMIS 2015 course here
• b)Evert hazardous material has a label, and safety data shes (MSDS)
• c) MSDS, labels and all safety information for a product are also located online
• d) All info should be located on MSDS
• e) Cat litter is an inexpensive chemical absorbent; All chemical spills must be reported.

13. Occupational Health and Safety Committee

• If an institution or business has more than 20 employees it must have a safety and health committee by law.
• The minutes of the committee most be posted in an accessible location (eg: online)

14. Other Key Orientation Topics

• a) risk for ladders, maintain 3 points of contact (feet and one hand), never stand the top or second to last step of the ladder. Working on the terraces also poses a risk for falling...
• b) shutdown, unplug or brake equipment or machinery
• Tractor: use parking brake, and turn off PTO (power take off)
• PTO: is the spinning shaft for hook ups of tractor implements - is extremely dangerous
• c) lift with legs, use a cart/dolly/wheelbarrow when possible.
• d) Guards are meant to protect you, do not modify or bypass them.
• e) Must have training, particularly for tractors and forklifts
• make use of the owner's manual
• f) any space that is not designed for human occupation
• confined spaces have reduced oxygen levels, and make rescue challenging
• Tj told a story about a farm, where several people got injured or died due to a confined space. On this farm, the supervisor asked a worker to go climb down an oil well. The worker entered this space which had little oxygen and noxious fumes, and collapsed. After sometime had passed, the supervisor sent in another worker, whom similarly collapsed. After sending 4 workers that did not return, the supervisor went to check for himself, but in this case, he recognized that the workers had collasped and called for help, rather then going down the well. 2 out 4 of these men died, and the other two were severely debilitated (existing only in a vegetative state).

In the final part of the workshop, we looked at some statistics on farm accidents, and then focused more specifically on tractor safety. To finish off the day, we had a little quiz on tractor safety to ensure we were all awake and paying attention. All in all, Tj's workshop was very informative, and should help reduce and prevent accidents as we are working for the agro-ecosystem class this summer and fall.

1- https://www.worksafebc.com/en/about-us/who-we-are/100-year-anniversary
2- http://www.agsafebc.ca/
3- http://www.ccohs.ca/

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