Nova Scotia’s Workplace Health and Safety Community

There are a number of supports and resources available to assist you in building and maintaining a farm safety plan.

Over the last decade, our province has made significant progress in making more people aware of the importance of workplace health and safety practices.

Here are a few of the organizations you can approach to ask questions or get additional health and safety information. You’ll find their contact information, along with additional resources, in the Workbook accompanying this guide.

Farm Safety Nova Scotia
www.farmsafetyns.ca

Farm Safety Nova Scotia (FSNS) is a safety organization focused solely on the agriculture industry in Nova Scotia. Established in July 2010, the Society of Farm Safety Nova Scotia is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing health and safety within the Nova Scotia agriculture industry.

FSNS is a farmer-driven initiative, with a membership consisting of registered farm members of the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture. All services and resources provided by FSNS are available to all registered farms in the province.

Farm Safety Nova Scotia invests its efforts in three main areas:

  • Advocacy;
  • Awareness; and
  • Training and Education.

FSNS provides a vast range of training opportunities as well as hands-on resources to help simplify the often overwhelming process of establishing, and maintaining, a safe farming operation. For example, a number of templates and examples are provided through the FSNS website that break down the process of filling out regulatory forms, help to walk through the best ways to identify hazards on farms, and provide clarity on what needs to be done in the immediate aftermath of a workplace incident.

As a member of Farm Safety Nova Scotia, farms receive consistent updates through newsletters keeping everyone updated on changes
to legislation and new resources and supports that may have been added to the website. Farm Safety Nova Scotia prides itself
on its relationships with members, working to be flexible and accommodating to support each farm in creating the safest work
environment possible.

WCB Nova Scotia
www.wcb.ns.ca

WCB Nova Scotia (WCB) is the province’s provider of workplace injury insurance. In addition, WCB Nova Scotia also strives to educate Nova Scotians on the prevention of workplace injury, and if an injury does occur, supports the individual toward a timely and safe return to work. The WCB also provides support in the wake of workplace tragedy.

WCB Nova Scotia manages the website www.worksafeforlife.ca which is a great online resource to access information and tools when preparing your farm safety plan. They also have people available on staff to answer any questions you may have about workplace health and safety within your organization.

Department of Labour and Advanced Education – Occupational Health and Safety Division
novascotia.ca/lae/healthandsafety

The Occupational Health & Safety Division (OH&S) is part of the Nova Scotia Government’s Department of Labour and Advanced Education. This division focuses on ensuring workplaces are safe and healthy, adhering to proper work practices and safety standards.

The OH&S Division also oversees the Internal Responsibility System (IRS), which is the system that acknowledges the responsibility of employers and employees for workplace health and safety. The OH&S Division is responsible for the enforcement of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and its regulations.

The Department of Labour and Advanced Education is also home to Outreach Services, which develops, implements and manages educational
and awareness programs and outreach activities, strategies, tools and methods designed to raise awareness of the OHS legislation and
requirements to employers, employees, business associations and the public.

Additional Resources

Government and industry associations can provide lots of support materials, information and planning help. Farmers are encouraged to take advantage of their expertise and availability.

There is a lot of information about workplace health and safety on the Internet, but keep in mind that legislation differs from province to province, and from country to country. Make sure that the information you find is applicable for Nova Scotia workplaces.