The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports every day across the nation, about 100 agricultural workers suffer a lost-work-time injury.
It’s always a busy and stressful time on Montana’s Farms and ranches. Since 1993 the Montana Ag Safety program has Provided Montana's farmers and ranchers with resources and trainings to increase workplace safety within Montana's agriculture industry.
“A lot of workplace injuries that we see on farms and ranches are typically related to either livestock, four-wheeler, or some type of vehicular related injury,” said Montana AG Safety director Austin Grazier. “So, whether or not it's a farm operation or ranching operation. We all deal with four-wheelers. We all deal with tractors. So, we can always tailor that towards creating some new information providing resources.
Through the Montana State Fund, the program provides ag safety material to employers and workers, presents ag workers compensation workshops, develops a farm and ranch safety plan, and evaluates ag operations safety programs with the goal reducing workplace accidents.
“You can earn a partial premium return on your State Fund policy,” Grazier explained. “So, there's that monetary incentive to incentivize our farmers and ranchers, to create that safety program to provide trainings and work with their employees to make sure that they're operating tractors safely, they're working around livestock safely and that they're really considering how to be safe while they're working on the farm or ranch.”
