On average, 113 people are killed and at least 1,500 are hospitalized for farm-related incidents in Canada each year reports the Canadian Agricultural Injury Surveillance Program. In 2006 alone a total of 13,801 Canadian farms reported one or more medically treated or lost time injuries, reports Statistics Canada. The most frequent causes of farm-related injuries include the unsafe use of equipment or material-handling practices, followed by fatigue, trying to save time and miscommunication between workers, says the Census of Agriculture 2001.

Some people think of personal protective equipment (PPE) as only being hardhats, boots and goggles. In fact PPE can be almost anything that reduces exposure to a hazard - including changes in laundry washing habits that will reduce secondary chemical exposures for chemical applicators and their families.

Worker protection, compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and technical feasibility are the three key considerations in the development of any safety program. Hazards exist in every workplace so strategies to protect workers are essential whether the worker is the owner-operator or an employee. The health and well being of both humans and the business depend on it.

by Theresa Whalen-Ruiter
CFA Farm Safety Coordinator

"I remember like it was yesterday. The freezing rain was stinging my face and I was lying there in the mud - so cold - with the horses sniffing and milling around above me. I could feel a painful heat and numbness rising up my body from my legs – like boiling water. All I could think was, 'Holy smokes! Maybe I’m dying here!'"

These are the words of Edwin Taylor of Grand Valley, Ontario, a survivor of a horrific farm incident that changed his life and his family’s in an instant.

by Theresa Whalen-Ruiter
CFA Farm Safety Coordinator

One hundred and five acres on three locations, 12 fruit and vegetable crops staffed or worked by six to 25 seasonal employees and two minor injuries in 20 years of business. That’s a farm safety success story!

Ottawa-- They say a picture is worth a thousand words...and Canada's leading farm safety advocates agree!

An on-line farm safety photo library has been created on www.casa-acsa.ca with 80 photos showing the safe way to work on farms or ranches. The project is being launched by the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA), in partnership with Pioneer Hi-Bred Limited, and the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA).

The human body is designed to experience stress and react to it. However, stress that continues without relief can cause damage to the cardiovascular, immune and digestive systems – not to mention our overall mental health. This physical damage compromises our body's ability to fight infection and disease which can in turn, lead to other illnesses. Research has found that the risk factors caused by chronic stress causes as much as 60% to 90% of all illnesses (http://www.newsweek.com/id/150199/page/2).

By Amy Snider, Professional Home Economist

Oops, we did it again! Filling up on holiday cheer, we stopped counting calories and dollars and abandoned ourselves to the joys of the season. No need to fret: Making up for holiday overload may be easier than you think.

Dr. David Butler-Jones, Chief Public Health Officer, Public Health Agency of Canada

As you might have already heard, the Government of Canada has recently announced a plan to re-label many common over-the-counter cough and cold medications for children. Under the new guidelines, parents and caregivers should no longer be giving cough and cold medications with particular ingredients to children under the age of six. For a list of the ingredients to look for, please visit the Health Canada website at: http://www.healthcanada.gc.ca/coughandcold

Alberta's digital diagnostic imaging and electronic health record network is helping to save lives across the province. That's because patients can get same-day results from key medical tests, and faster access to treatment.

Digitized diagnostic images, including x-rays, ultrasounds, MRI and CT scans, allow clinicians to view patient images no matter where the test was conducted or the location of the clinician. The sharing and remote access to images is enabled by Picture Archiving and Communications Systems (PACS).