Farm safety has everything to do with being brave enough

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You’ve likely done some tasks on the farm so many times you could do them in your sleep, and maybe even have when the days get too long. There are jobs on the farm that are inherently risky, too, but if you’ve done them enough times, you don’t need to worry about the hazards, right?

Curtis Weber says it’s that comfort level with doing risky things that is often a farmer’s downfall — we know that bad things can happen, but because we’ve done something enough times without the bad thing happening we must be immune.

Weber knows first-hand just how wrong that assumption is, and he’s telling his farm safety story in an effort to encourage a culture of safety on the farm.

Perhaps it’s ego that gets in the way of asking the questions we should ask before taking on a risky task, or maybe it’s the attitude and culture of farmers being brave and strong enough that leads us to think safety meetings and protective gear don’t apply. But Weber counters, “the choices we make at work and at play can have huge implications on the people we love the most.”

No matter how strong you think you are, you aren’t stronger than a 2,000 pound bull, faster than 14,400 volts, or quicker than a PTO.

True bravery is in stopping to review the safety risks and rules, being brave enough to ask questions and to have that safety meeting before a job. Weber says before his incident, he had questions and he knew there were risks, but he was 17 and new on the job and so he didn’t ask.

“You need to change what you’re doing BEFORE an incident shows you how unsafe it was,” Weber warns.

Hear his entire interview with Kelvin Heppner, filmed at CropSphere in Saskatoon, here:

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