As of January 31, 2020, Alberta’s Farm Freedom and Safety Act comes into effect. This legislation creates new workplace safety rules for farmers and ranchers. The new rules will apply to waged workers who are the owner or related to the owner of a farm. Family members, unpaid help from neighbours, and children doing chores or participating in 4-H are exempt from these new rules.
Farms and ranches with at least one waged, non-family worker are covered by the basic safety standards set out in the Occupational Health & Safety (OHS) Act. The OHS Regulation and OHS Code do not apply to farms and ranches. Regarding OHS rules, the following are not considered farms or ranches:
- Food processing operations
- Greenhouses, mushroom farms, nurseries, or sod farms
- Landscaping
- Raising or breeding of pets
OHS rules only apply to an operation if a waged, non-family worker is present on the farm or ranch, and then only to those individuals.
Producers with waged, non-family workers must:
- Follow generally acceptable industry standards
- Apply general health and safety principles
For more information on the changes, click here.
For enquiries, please contact:
Warren Noga
Policy Advisor
warren@RMAlberta.com
Tasha Blumenthal
Director of External Relations & Advocacy
tasha@RMAlberta.com