Report examines farming women’s safety needs 

Farming women may need more support and programing to address their specific safety needs according to a recent study.

For instance, more than two thirds of Canadian women who farm struggle to find safety apparel and personal protective equipment that fits them, said the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association in a recent report.

Thirty-nine per cent said women’s safety apparel is more expensive than men’s, and 42 per cent said machinery isn’t designed with women in mind.

The report draws on data from a broader study, which CASA co-funded, of Canadian farm women’s experiences. That study, which included a survey of more than 1,000 farming women, was published in February.

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“Women are pivotal to safety plans on the farm,” CASA wrote.

Forty-six per cent of farming women said they were responsible for creating and implementing a farm safety plan, and 42 per cent said they were “constantly reminding people on their farm about safety issues.”

A quarter of women surveyed said their farm would have no focus on safety. Twenty-nine per cent said that others on the farm don’t respect their opinion regarding health and safety.

Safety of children was a top concern for farm women. Sixty-four per cent said caring for children due to a lack of daycare was concerning from a safety standpoint.

Safety was identified as a common stressor for women. Sixty-five per cent said they experienced stress when they thought about potential injury on the farm.

Fifty per cent said stress related to the farm was negatively affecting their health.

Nearly 60 per cent of women said they thought women should be included in safety training more often.

Thirty-eight per cent of women said they were concerned by health hazards specifically related to childbearing due to farm obligations.