“Every farm has an Accident Book”
~Kaleb
Clarkson’s Farm, if you aren’t familiar, is a show about an English broadcaster best known for presenting on Top Gear – Jeremy Clarkson – who literally bought a farm and decided to try and run it. Watching, I’m always a bit surprised no one has been seriously injured. If you’ve happened to catch an episode, I suspect you’ve cringed a few times, too.
I say “seriously injured”, as Clarkson did cut a large chunk of his thumb off, using a commercial potato peeler for the first time – on camera. Seeing the footage, anyone watching surely saw that coming.
Farming tells us a lot about why injuries happen. Improvised tools, uncontrolled environment, difficult and unique problems cropping up all the time. It is dangerous work, hazards are everywhere, procedures are few.
That’s why every farm has what Kaleb calls an “accident book”.
In your operation, most of the work done has a formal process or JSA, follows policies and procedures and is routine. That said, there are times and circumstances when the task at hand looks a bit like those “on the farm.” When you find yourself in these sorts of situations, being cognizant that the work is dangerous is not enough. The work must be done in a way that is intentional.
Ensuring no one actually does get hurt begins with slowing down or stopping the job long enough to ensure everyone understands all of the hazards; it ends with the job done in a way where no one could have gotten hurt.
You don’t want anyone ending up listed in Kaleb’s Accident Book.
I say “seriously injured”, as Clarkson did cut a large chunk of his thumb off, using a commercial potato peeler for the first time – on camera. Seeing the footage, anyone watching surely saw that coming.
Farming tells us a lot about why injuries happen. Improvised tools, uncontrolled environment, difficult and unique problems cropping up all the time. It is dangerous work, hazards are everywhere, procedures are few.
That’s why every farm has what Kaleb calls an “accident book”.
In your operation, most of the work done has a formal process or JSA, follows policies and procedures and is routine. That said, there are times and circumstances when the task at hand looks a bit like those “on the farm.” When you find yourself in these sorts of situations, being cognizant that the work is dangerous is not enough. The work must be done in a way that is intentional.
Ensuring no one actually does get hurt begins with slowing down or stopping the job long enough to ensure everyone understands all of the hazards; it ends with the job done in a way where no one could have gotten hurt.
You don’t want anyone ending up listed in Kaleb’s Accident Book.
David Balmert
June 2023
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