Benefits and Long-term Goal of the Certified Safe Farm Program
Benefits to Stakeholders:
The benefits of the Certified Safe Farm program are primarily derived from the improved health status of the participating farmers. Improved health has direct impacts for farmers, their insurance providers, and governmental agencies. Improved health has indirect benefits for agribusiness partners and the farming community.
Benefits to Farmers:
It has been demonstrated in other industries that a good safety record is associated with higher productivity. Likewise, certified safe farms are likely among the most productive and profitable farms. Fewer injuries and illnesses lead to less down time as well as less stress and mental strain, which cannot be measured in financial terms.
Benefits to Agribusiness:
Better
health has indirect benefits for the suppliers of seed, feed, machinery, chemicals,
loans, and services. Healthier farmers are more reliable as customers. They
suffer fewer health problems and are more likely to fulfill their commitments
to business partners. Many participating farms will install Rollover Protective
Structures (ROPS), shields, other safety devices, and Personal Protective
Equipment (PPE) and they will purchase other supplies to bring their farm
up to the acceptable safety level. They may increase their purchases of farm
input supplies due to enhanced productivity. Healthier farmers are more reliable
business and contract partners for processors, marketers, and exporters of
farm products. They may be able to meet higher product quality standards and
therefore provide additional benefits for agribusiness. Participation in the
CSF program generates goodwill and enhances the public image of agribusiness.
Benefits to Regulatory Agencies:
The CSF program offers a new alternative to safety regulations and enforcement. In most states the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) does not have the authority to inspect farms with ten or fewer employees. Inspecting family farms would be cost prohibitive, and not acceptable to the farming community. However, the need to improve safety and health exists. In some industries, OSHA already allows voluntary health and safety programs to be used in place of OSHA inspections. The voluntary CSF program is more acceptable, flexible and driven by benefits rather than regulations. Wide implementation of the CSF program would achieve national safety and health goals without the use of unpopular and costly regulatory approaches. The CSF program could replace OSHA enforcement and ensure satisfactory level of safety on smaller farms as well as larger farms, which are currently covered by OSHA.
A uniform quality system - Certified Safe Farm - offers several benefits to the participating farms, their insurers, agribusiness partners, and other stakeholders, as illustrated in this chart.
Primary Goal
- To reduce farm-related injuries and illnesses and pass along associated cost savings to farmers, insurers, and agribusiness.
Secondary goals of the program include:
- Facilitating innovative partnerships among certified safe farms, their insurance providers, agribusinesses, and governmental agencies by creating benefits for all stakeholders
- Developing a standard method for ensuring acceptable level of safety on a farm
- Establishing and training a network of local consultants who are acceptable to the farming community and capable of conducting unbiased farm safety reviews
- Establishing and training a network of local health care providers knowledgeable about agricultural health issues and able to provide CSF health screenings and education
- Facilitating implementation of a uniform program for farmers nationwide