Overview of a Farm Safety Plan

A farm safety plan should be developed with the full participation of your workforce. This will empower your team to take responsibility for their safety and the safety of their co-workers, while also making sure they are aware of the expectations from the get-go. A written plan could include the following sections:

1. General Policy Statement: Develop and communicate an overall policy on health and safety with supporting operational policies.

2. Identify Hazards: Identify existing and potential hazards in all aspects of your operation.

3. Control Strategies: Follow a series of basic practices to control the health and safety hazards and risks in your farming operation.

4. Communicate Responsibilities: Clearly establish responsibilities for everyone visiting and working on your farm and ensure that you have a communications process for sharing health and safety information with everyone on the farm.

5. Prepare: Establish a plan for incidents and emergencies that may occur on your farm.

6. Review: Review and revise your plan frequently to make sure employee, equipment and process changes are reflected in the plan.

(Source: Canada Farm Safe Plan)

This workbook will give you a greater understanding of what is needed to meet the requirements for each of the sections within your farm safety plan.