by Theresa Whalen
CFA Farm Safety Consultant (409 words)

An up-to-date record of safety training, work instructions or toolbox talks is definite proof that you take safety in your agricultural operation seriously. And it’s proof you can take to the bank, your insurance provider or regulatory inspector.

Developing ag safety training materials and documenting delivery is simply good risk management. It does not have to be an onerous task. Start by creating a one-page template that includes the following:

• Create a comprehensive title for your training topic. Topics should be relevant and timely for the work that is currently being done.
• Write out the key points to be covered in the training. This will help as speaker notes for the training delivery and will also summarize what was covered. As a rule, such talks should not last longer than about 20 minutes. The person leading the talk should be clear and concise and should wrap-up with a recap of all the main points discussed. At the end of the meeting, a question/answer session should be conducted to clarify any uncertainties workers may have.
• On the one-page summary, state your farm name and the address, date and time where the training took place.
• Print the name of the person who delivered the training and have them sign beside their name.
• Print the names of each person who received the training and have them sign beside their name.
• File this paper with your other important business papers. These safety topics can be recycled seasonally, annually or as needed on your farm to refresh the memory of workers and update information.

To find resources on ag safety topics, key in a few relevant words on the internet and you will be flooded with information. A great place to start is at www.planfarmsafety.ca.

A well-developed and well-used training document has huge potential value. Keep it up-to-date. Ensuring workplace safety is one of the most important ways that an employer can show care and concern for employees.

“Plan • Farm • Safety” is the three-year theme of the Canadian Agricultural Safety campaign, which was launched in March. Each aspect of the theme will be promoted over the next three years.

In 2010, the campaign promotes "Plan" with safety walkabouts and planning for safety. In the second year, the focus will be on "Farm" including implementation, documentation and training. In the third year, emphasis will be on "Safety" including assessment, improvement and further development of safety systems.

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For more information contact:
Theresa Whalen, CFA Farm Safety Consultant T: (613) 822-0016 E: farmsafety@cfafca.ca
** Free photos and cartoons are available to accompany this article at www.planfarmsafety.ca.
For more farm safety articles visit: http://communitycontent.ca/en/org/Canadian-Federation-Agriculture