Vendors, processors, retailers, lenders and other allied industry in agriculture are requiring more and more audits of our production practices.  One request that is becoming more common is verification that growers and producers of commodities are providing Safety Training to their employees.  Though this is somewhat new to agriculture, these requests are accelerating.  It isn’t just OSHA that is interested in validating your training practices.  These entities see it as another area that they can assure their customers that the food they eat is produced in a sustainable, environmentally-friendly and employee-friendly manner.

The EPA has revised the agricultural Worker Protection Standard and expanded the regulation to provide new worker protections similar to other industries.

Among other new protections, it now includes annual mandatory training to inform farmworkers on the protections afforded to them through the standard. Formerly, this training was required only once every 5 years.

It’s no secret that agriculture is one of the most dangerous industries in the world and that emergencies can happen any time. Unfortunately, emergency responders may not always be familiar with ag operations, meaning that rescues and treatment of injured employees may take much longer than normal. Precious minutes could easily be lost while responders determine the best way to get a trapped or injured employee to safety and treatment. Having an emergency action plan (EAP) in place for your operation can literally mean the difference between life and death in an emergency situation.

Agriculture is a dangerous industry. Fortunately, there are lots of ways to make it safer. Below are a few examples of good practices that will make your operation safer.

Slips, trips, and falls in the workplace are no laughing matter. In fact, they account for more than 225,000 injuries a year. And 70% of these incidents occur on level surfaces with falls from less than four feet above ground!

One moment you are having a casual chat with a co-worker over lunch. Suddenly, she grasps her throat and begins to turn blue.  What do you do?

Compared to other industries, farm work is the most dangerous of all. Every year, more than 480 people in the US are killed performing ag-related jobs. Hundreds more are seriously injured. According to OSHA, it is the employer’s responsibility to evaluate the workplace and ensure a risk-free environment.

Investing in proper safety training is an important component of your operation’s preparations for a new year. As you can see below, just the financial costs of injuries – and deaths – from ag-related activities can cost your business thousands of dollars a year. And this is even before OSHA gets involved!

As an ag operation owner, you no doubt have an insurance plan in place in case something goes wrong. It's part of the price of doing business in the event of an accident or disaster. Sometimes, that insurance plan can mean the difference between staying afloat after a particularly difficult year and going under completely.

For many ag operations, winter is the “off-season,” making it an excellent time to ensure your employees have completed their annual safety training. It’s also a good time to conduct a hazard assessment of your operation. Here are four things you can do now to help ensure that your next year is as safe as possible.