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In retrospect, it doesn’t take a genius to
figure out that one should not swing something that can cause major
bodily harm at oneself. Though I was only in junior high when my
“accident” occurred, the fact of the matter is that most safety
experts believe a high percentage of all work-related accidents can
be directly correlated to behavioral practices of people. Depending
on who you believe, I’ve seen that estimate as high as 95 percent.
According to the Oregon Department of Consumer
and Business Services, 12.1 percent of all work-related fatalities
in Oregon between 2002 and 2006 occurred in agriculture. The SAIF
Corporation prepared a report for ABC reflecting that same period of
time which shows that 14,442 claims were made within agriculture
that equaled 207,238 time-loss days. The total incurred loss equaled
$79,714,381, or $5,520 per claim.
Those are big numbers. Big enough that the ABC
Safety Committee decided it’s time to start engaging our members
about some common safety principles that can go a long way in
reducing the number of farm-related accidents. That’s not to say
that a safe work environment is not already an important component
of many farms and ranches. Most operations have safety programs and
emphasize proper safety practices. The emphasis, though, tends to be
on safety equipment and standards, and not on human behavior.
OR-OSHA agreed and awarded the ABC Safety
Committee a $40,000 grant to develop a bilingual DVD designed to
showcase the emotional and financial benefits when best safety
behavior is implemented. The DVD will be distributed to every ABC
member. A script is currently being penned, and the goal is to have
the video distributed this September in conjunction with National Ag
Safety Week.
Two of the more successful affinity programs
offered to ABC members are our
Health Insurance program
with Health Net of Oregon and our
supplemental workers’
compensation discount with SAIF. Though they cover different
aspects of the insurance equation, helping to foster a safe and
healthy agricultural work environment is important to the Agri-Business
Council of Oregon. This DVD is just the beginning. Producing it
makes common sense.
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