(OTTAWA) – ‘An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.’  This familiar old adage is as true as ever when it comes to farm safety. Keeping accurate track of machinery maintenance is an important means of preventing costly breakdowns that can lead to time constraints, stress, shorts cuts and injuries.

“Protect your moving parts!” is the theme of the 2007 Canadian Agricultural Safety campaign with a focus on pinch points, crushes, entanglements, and the importance of guarding. In support of the yearlong campaign, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) and Pioneer Hi-Bred Limited have partnered with the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to produce a farm machinery maintenance record decal.

The decal is made of a durable vinyl and can be written-on with a ballpoint pen to record the date, work summary, and initials of the person who did the work. Producers are encouraged to fix the decals to their machines as a quick reminder for regular maintenance. Full maintenance records should then be recorded in the farm’s machinery maintenance logbook. Businesses, organizations and individuals can request up to 100 FREE farm machinery maintenance record decals by emailing farmsafety@cfafca.ca or call (613) 822-0016.

“By increasing an operator’s recognition of the need for machinery maintenance, we believe it will help to achieve safer operation of machinery and thereby reduce the risk of injury or death,” said Bob Friesen, CFA president. “This decal is a reminder at a glance, so that operators will keep machinery maintenance top of mind as they plan their day to day work.”

“Anyone who operates farm equipment has a two-part role in risk management,” explains Art Stirling, Government and Industry Affairs Manager for Pioneer Hi-Bred, a national developer and distributor of seed products. “They can be a source of risk when they do things carelessly; and they are also the most important part of the strategy for dealing with risk. To minimize machinery risks, it is crucial to ensure equipment is in good working order at all times.”

On average, 113 people are killed and at least 1,500 are hospitalized for farm-related incidents in Canada each year (CAISP 2003).  Statistics Canada found that in 2006 alone a total of 13,801 Canadian farms reported one or more medically treated or lost time injuries.  The most frequent causes of farm-related injuries include the unsafe use of equipment or material-handling practices, followed by fatigue, trying to save time and miscommunication between workers, says the Census of Agriculture 2001.

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Founded in 1935 to provide Canada's farmers with a single voice in Ottawa, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture is the country's largest farmers' organization. Its members include provincial general farm organizations as well as national and inter-provincial commodity organizations from every province. Through its members, CFA represents over 200,000 Canadian farmers and farm families.