SEPTEMBER 2020

A sound health and safety program is an effective way to manage risks while protecting your business and the people working and living on your farm. This is especially true during the COVID-19 pandemic.

SAFETY CHECKLIST

The checklist below lists a few ways you can start a health and safety program on your farm:

• Has everyone on the farm, including families, been educated on how people get and spread COVID-19?
• Have you identified ways that your team is at risk of getting or spreading COVID-19?
• Have you created a plan for how you and your team will reduce the risk of getting COVID-19 and stop it from spreading to other employees, family members, and community members?
• Do you have a plan if someone is unable to work?
• Do you meet with your team regularly to go over this plan and change it if need be? Are you meeting via phone call or video chat? If that’s not an option, are you meeting outside with everyone standing more than 6 feet apart and wearing N95 respirators or cloth face masks?
• Is someone providing this training for employees whose first language is not English?
• Have you put up posters with your plan in break rooms, at entrances, in housing, and in other commonly-used spaces? The posters should include images and text in
  languages spoken by each employee.
• Are employees’ names/addresses/contact/emergency information available for owners and managers to easily access?
• Do you have whistleblower protection policies so that anyone can report unsafe practices and make suggestions without fear of retaliation?

You and/or your employee(s) can download and print a pdf checklist to complete safety checks on your farm.  Keep the completed forms for follow-up, future reference and inspections.

Disclaimer: The facts and information listed above are suggestions for your safety, but are in no way a comprehensive and exhaustive list of all actions needed to ensure your safety.