Farm Safety Course At Lincoln College

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31678, 14 May 1968, Page 16

Farm Safety Course At Lincoln College

Nearly 390,000 calendar days were lost each year as a result of injuries to farm workers, and this was a conservative figure, because it did not take into account the owners of farms, said the Director of the National Safety Association (Mr R F Aitken), opening a farm safety course at Lincoln College yesterday. “Each injury results in an average of three months off work,” he said. “We all know the disruption this causes, the extra load borne by wives and others to keep the farm producing.” Mr Aitken said that accidents on farms were a scandal that the farming community would well be rid of They were wasteful, caused untold harm and suffering, and could disable a person to such a degree that he eould not continue farm work. New Zealanders were proud of their primary industry, and it was riehtly said that tn many fields. New Zealand farmers led the world, but, he said, there were some aspects that needed a elose, hard look to see if there was a field in

’ which New Zealand could be far from proud. Children riding on tractors, unguarded machinery, poor working clothing and noncompliance with regulations enacted for benefit were some fields. There were also such things as the improper use of electricity, and farm chemii cals, the destruction of noxious weeds and animals, the handling of high-pressure cylinders, dips, drenches, first- , aid, fire prevention, hydatids , control and tetanus precau- , tions. i “In what I have mentioned, ' there is a most fruitful field for us to examine, and. where possible, to improve our standards," he said. The course, which will end on Friday, is being attended i by 28 district and farm club safety officers.