New grant program aids farm employers

The Alberta government will provide up to $6 million in grant funding to agriculture-sector employers to help them comply with new occupational health and safety requirements.

The Farm Health and Safety Producer Grant Program is aimed at helping offset some of the costs farmers and ranchers may incur as a result of new farm safety rules. The NDP government passed Bill 6 — which brought farms and ranches under the umbrella of the Occupational Health and Safety Code for the first time — three years ago, but only recently finished developing a detailed set of agriculture-specific rules. These new rules come into effect Dec. 1.

Any farm or ranch with waged, non-family workers and a WCB account may apply for the grant, which covers up to 50 per cent of eligible safety expenses to a maximum of $5,000 per year or $10,000 over the life of the three-year program. Eligible expenses include things like first aid kits, fire extinguishers, eye and hearing protection, seatbelt installation, warning lights, auger guards and more.

The Notley government came under fire from the agricultural community in 2015 when it launched its contentious Bill 6, even though Alberta was the only province in which farm and ranch workers were exempt from workplace safety legislation. The agriculture-specific rules coming into effect in December were developed in the aftermath of the Bill 6 furor, in consultation with industry. These rules grant farm and ranch employers some wiggle room when it comes to OHS legislation, including giving farm workers the ability to use older equipment and recognizing that seatbelt use isn’t possible on all forms of agricultural machinery.