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Farm safety week in Saskatchewan, Canada

Mar 12, 2018 | 3:00 PM

It’s Agricultural Safety Week in Saskatchewan, and advocates are reminding farmers to keep safety in mind as the snow melts the busy spring season begins.

Agricultural Safety Week in Saskatchewan is March 11-17. Together in conjunction with Canadian Agricultural Safety Week, safety advocates have encouraged producers to focus on the safety of seniors on the farm. The 2016 Census of Agriculture, the most recent from Statistics Canada, reported that the average age of farmers in Canada is 55 years. More farmers are over age 55 than under 35, and the majority of all Canadian farmers worked for more than 40 hours each week.

The government of Saskatchewan encouraged farmers to stay rested and alert, and ensure all farm and safety equipment is working properly. An average of 13 people are killed each year in farm-related incidents in Saskatchewan, the provincial government said, and 75 per cent of those fatalities involve farm machinery such as grain trucks, semis, tractors and combines.

The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association and the Canadian Federation of Agriculture has also reminded farmers to stay safe this week.