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Don't text and drive

Driving safety: an accident is likely to occur 23 more times with cell phone use

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Thompsons encourages all drivers not use hand-held communication devices of any kind while driving. Even if using hands-free and voice-activated dialing, it could still be a deadly distraction.

  • Texting and driving makes an accident 23 times more likely.
  • Dialing your phone increase your chances of an accident by 2.8 times.
  • 1 in 5 drivers confess to surfing the web while driving.
  • Smartphones are the most common form of distraction for drivers.
  • Making even the most basic text takes a minimum of 5 seconds of your attention off of the road when you text and drive.
  • In addition to causing 330,000 injuries each year, it’s estimated that about 11 teens die every day as a result of texting and driving. And this is just teens – this is about 4000 total deaths per year in the United States
  • Texting is more dangerous than drunk driving – texting while driving is 6 times more likely to cause an accident than driving drunk. 

Are there any exemptions to Ontario’s distracted driving law?

  • Calling 9-1-1 in an emergency situation
  • When the driver is lawfully parked or has safely pulled off the roadway and is not impeding traffic.

Note: It is dangerous to stop on the shoulder of a 400-series highway and drivers are prohibited from pulling off a designated 400-series highway and parking for a reason other than an emergency. If the situation is not an emergency, drivers are advised to exit the freeway at an interchange or pull into the nearest service centre. 

Fines (Starting January 1, 2019)

For your first conviction:

  • a fine of up to $1,000
  • three demerit points
  • a three-day day driver’s licence suspension

For your second conviction within 5 years:

  • a fine of up to $2,000
  • six demerit points
  • a seven-day driver’s licence suspension

For your third and all subsequent convictions within 5 years:

  • a fine of up to $3,000
  • six demerit points
  • a 30-day driver’s licence suspension

No text, email or phone call is worth your life, the life of a loved one or the life of another motorist or pedestrian!

Work safe. Farm safe. Home safe.™

™ is a registered trademark of Thompsons Limited.

tripping hazard

Safety: Be aware of your surroundings

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If something serious were to happen to you, your family could be left without their loved one. With today’s technologically complex equipment and numerous distractions, several things can pull your focus away from the tasks at hand. When this happens, injuries such as slips and falls, being injured or killed from moving trucks, equipment or an overhead hazard. Read more

Power washer safety

Safety: pressure washer safety

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Consider all of the risks of pressure washing and what steps you need to take to protect yourself and the others around you. While the main hazard considered is the pressure of the water, there are many more secondary hazards that could lead to the actual injury. There are many different types of injuries that can occur while using a pressure washer. While the pressure of the water can be considered the biggest exposure to risk during this work task, there are certainly many more hazards to be considered.

Hazards and injuries associated with pressure washing

  • Hose/ connection failure
  • Flying debris
  • Strains/ sprains
  • Burns
  • Slips, trips, falls
  • Lacerations/ bruises

Safeguards to prevent pressure washing injuries

  • Set up your work area where other people are not in the line of fire of the water stream or flying debris.
  • Use a longer wand that makes it hard for the individual who is using the pressure washer to make contact with their own body.
  • When using a pressure washer that is also supplied with heat, do not turn it all the way up. This creates the opportunity for a burn.
  • Maintain good housekeeping. Keep the area free of trip hazards. Remove excess mud to prevent slip injuries.
  • Wear the proper PPE – goggles and face shield, gloves, long sleeve shirt, hearing protection
  • Never use a pressure washer to spray off yourself or your boots.

Work safe. Farm safe. Home safe.™
™ is a registered trademark of Thompsons Limited.

Climbing a ladder image

Safety: never too busy for safety

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Thompsons has strict protocol and safety proceedures to operate safely, every day. We post these safety articles and messages for any farm operation to help keep others safe.

Traffic flow signage

It’s of utmost importance to have traffic flow signage clearly posted at your entrance, throughout the facility and at the exits to keep everyone safe. Also, remind employees, family and visitors to look both ways before crossing truck pathways. The last thing anyone wants during peak busy season is a traffic accident that could have been avoided. Read more

Safety: stairs

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Stairs are everywhere, and it’s easy to become complacent with safe practices when you deal with them so often. This safety tip is meant to remind you of the basics when ascending and descending stairs and what to watch out for when doing so in order to stay safe and injury-free. LIMIT RISK: Avoid distractions while walking up or down stairs, and always use the handrails.

  • Any time you are not paying attention to the task at hand, you are at risk. Try to save checking that text or what time it is for the next floor! Give stairs your full attention!
  • Be aware of untied shoelaces, long clothing, stair hopping, and carrying large loads.
  • Stair hopping, whether ascending or descending stairs, is adding unnecessary risk to your stair climbing. Take it one step at a time, no matter how strong you are or how much of a rush you’re in.
  • When carrying large loads, if possible, ask someone for assistance to minimize the load. Large loads can restrict sight and centre of gravity, both of which are crucial for safe stair practices. Understand how perception of risk can influence your attitudes toward stairs.
  • Because you deal with stairs all the time, it’s natural to think that they aren’t as big a risk as they actually are. Be aware that stairs can pose a danger every time you’re on them. Just because you use them often doesn’t mean gravity will let you off the hook!

Read more

Farm equipment on the road

Safety: Sharing the road

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Keep in mind the following safety tips for motorists as you share the road with farm equipment

  • Farm machinery has a legal right to use public roads just as other motor vehicles.
  • Farm machinery can unexpectedly turn onto a public road from a field or driveway.
  • Farm machinery operators may not be able to see you because the large equipment or a load can block part of their rear view.
  • Slow-moving farm machinery traveling less than 25 miles per hour should display a slow moving vehicle emblem on the back of the equipment.
  • Extra-wide farm machinery may take up more than one lane to avoid hitting obstacles such as mailboxes and road signs.

Before passing farm machinery

  • Look for left turn lights or hand signals. If the machinery slows and pulls toward the right side of the road, the operator is likely preparing to make a wide left turn.
  • Be sure there is adequate distance for you to safely pass.
  • Rural road rage can be negated if everyone takes the responsibility to have extra patience, careful driving habits, and use high-visibility markings and lighting.
Perform a walk-around safety check of your vehicle before operating

Safety: Circle checks

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How often do you walk around your vehicle before moving it?

At Thompsons, a circle check is mandatory before putting a vehicle into service, at the beginning of the day and any time before backing up if it has been parked and this is the first motion a driver is making. Read more

tripping hazard

Safety: Unsafe conditions

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Recognize unsafe conditions and take action to eliminate and mitigate them.

It is possible to eliminate the majority of unsafe conditions in our workplaces and on our farms in order to prevent injuries on the job. It is necessary to recognize these kinds of conditions exist around you, and take action to eliminate or mitigate them. There is an endless list of possible unsafe conditions in any workplace. Two types of unsafe conditions that can be found in almost any workplace are slip, trip, and fall hazards and pinch point hazards.

  • Slips, trips, and falls are responsible for many injuries on the job year after year. Many of these incidents are a direct result of an unsafe condition.
  • Objects on the ground are a common example.
  • Other unsafe conditions that lead to slips, trips, and falls injuries include slippery floors, unmarked changes in elevations in walking surfaces, cluttered work areas, unprotected edges, etc.

Read more

Fire triangle graphicThompsons Limited

Safety: The fire triangle

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Fire can be compared to a triangle. Three sides are necessary to make a triangle and three ingredients are necessary to cause a fire. These are heat, air, and fuel. If any one of these three sides is missing, there can be no fire.

Heat

Heat, the first side of the fire triangle, can come from many sources. It can be generated by sparks from welding operations, discarded cigarette butts, electrical shorts, frayed wiring, friction from power tools, and hot exhaust pipes.

Fuel

Fuel, the second side of the fire triangle, may be liquid, such as gasoline or solvents; a solid, such as paper or wood scraps; or a gas, such as propane.

Air

Air, the third side of the fire triangle, contains oxygen which is necessary to sustain a fire. Heat, fuel, and air must be in the proper proportion for fire to occur. Read more

Tire explosion photo

Safety: tire explosions

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When a rubber tire becomes overheated, a chemical reaction in the rubber called pyrolysis can occur. Pyrolysis causes the rubber to deteriorate. At a certain point, this deterioration can create a very rapid pressure increase inside the tire that can lead to a sudden and unexpected tire explosion. Read more