With the late harvest and now wet conditions, farmers are trying to maximize every hour that they can get out onto the field. This can often put safety out of mind.
Dawn Minne, chairperson of Manitoba Farmers With Disabilities (MFWD), reminds farmers to slow and check their surroundings.
"One of the biggest things is just to take that extra second to double check everything," she said. "It only takes a split second for an incident to happen and it changes your life forever."
Minne explains that a daily plan is important in helping to let others know where you'll be at all times.
"Have a plan and let other people know what your plan is for that day and where you're going and what you want to get accomplished," she said. "Communication is very vital so that people know where you are, what you're doing."
Dawn's husband Ron was involved in a farm accident in 1991, in which he injured his shoulder and neck. The one thing they could have done differently, says Dawn, was take the keys out of the tractor and put them in a pocket. Ron was busy unplugging the pickup of pull-type combine when the pickup moved causing serious injury. He underwent many surgeries to repair the damage and is still dealing with the effects today.
Ron is now a director with MFWD and speaks to others about taking that extra second to think about safety.
"Your life can change so fast," said Dawn. "Then you're facing different problems and situations with how then do you get your crop off when you're injured yourself."
Source: SteinbachOnline