The holiday season is here, which brings time spent with loved ones, hearty meals, and reflection on the past year. Although 2023 brought a seemingly endless variety of topics to reflect on, don’t forget to think about how your farm did for overall safety this year and how you can improve in 2024.
This season is a time when many workplaces host holiday parties and staff get togethers. Consider including an end-of-year safety review with your staff. Reflect on what went well this year for safety on your farm, what didn’t go so well, and what could be improved on. Take notes on ideas or suggestions that are brought up, and act on them. Holding an open discussion about safety not only gives staff a voice, it makes them feel valued. Be sure to keep it light and make it known that they may speak easily about anything on their mind when it comes to safety. They may have noticed hazards that you haven’t.
Here’s some sample prompting questions to consider asking yourself or your staff:
- Do you feel safe coming to work every day?
- Is there any task you do that makes you feel unsafe?
- Have you noticed anything around the farm that may be unsafe?
- When you look back on the year, can you recall any near misses? Has the problem been fixed?
- Do you know where all the first aid kits are? PPE? Emergency numbers?
- Do you feel comfortable speaking up when you have safety concerns?
- Are you interested in completing safety-related training in the new year?
- Do you have any ideas to make the farm workplace a healthier and safer place?
If you’re interested in developing the safety knowledge of your staff in 2024, Farm Safety Nova Scotia has you covered. We will be providing training and workshops throughout the province in the new year, and there will be something for everyone. We also have online resources available to access any time on our website, https://farmsafetyns.ca/resources/. Through partnerships with St John Ambulance, Safety Services Nova Scotia and Ennis Safety Services, we are able to offer discounted rates on many training opportunities when you register through Farm Safety NS. More information is available at https://farmsafetyns.ca/member-benefits/
Farm Safety Nova Scotia wishes you a safe and healthy holiday season and a prosperous new year. We will continue to be your go-to resource for farm safety in 2024. As always, if you have any questions or need any additional information, please reach out to us at info@farmsafetyns.ca or by calling (902) 893 2293.
