Farm Safety & Biosecurity – 16 mins
Farm Safety
Talking with your apprentice about farm safety is important. They don’t have the same experience as you and may assess hazards quite differently so it is helpful to get on the same page. We encourage you to make a bit of a plan before your apprentice arrives and communicate it to them when they do.
- Where is the first aid kit and emergency phone numbers?
- What are the safety hazards on the farm?
- Is there anywhere on the farm that is a restricted area?
- What Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) should be used and when?
Know that your apprentice has the right:
- to know about health and safety matters on the farm
- to participate in decisions that could affect their health and safety
- to refuse work that could affect their health and safety and that of others.
If you feel uncomfortable about how an apprentice is completing a task because it feels unsafe, address it right away. Talk to your apprentice and find a way to make it safer, figure out if someone else can perform the task, or provide them more training to do it safely.
Watch this Video Series
Protecting Young Agricultural Workers Videos by Healthier Workforce Center of the Midwest
Take this Course!
We highly recommend that you take this online farm safety course. You may also require your apprentice to take it as part of their training. The principles in this course are applicable on any size or type of farm. Each farm will have its own safety hazards but this training will help you know what to look out for and how to be preventative.
Farm Safety Orientation by the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association
(Cost $40 – if this cost is prohibitive let your coordinator know)
Depending on your farm, you may also consider their All Terrain Vehicle Safety Course and/or their Tractor & Farm Machinery Course.
Biosecurity
Biosecurity is an important consideration in this program as apprentices will be visiting other farms. We want to help promote good practices since we know if can affect animal welfare and it can reduce production impacting the farm’s livelihood.
Make sure to talk with your apprentice about the expectations for biosecurity on the farm. For YA-led farm tours, we can have biosecurity requirements. Depending on the disease pressure and the risks, it may be required that apprentices:
- change and disinfect their footwear between farms – here’s an example of a boot dip
- clean your vehicle or equipment
- follow protocols for designated ‘clear’ and ‘dirty’ zones on the farm
- work with animals from youngest to oldest
- restrict visitors that have been around livestock for a period of time
Even on small farms biosecurity is important!
