Photo credit: How can I recyle this? on Flickr
Finding the right provider – with a good reputation – is an important part of buying a safety product or service. With social media we have more chances than ever to hear about other consumers’ experiences with companies we are considering. Websites like Yelp, for example, help us choose everything from restaurants to vacations to car repair shops – based on information shared by others.
Online databases – like this list of Occupational Health and Safety Training Providers from WorkSafeBC – will introduce you to companies. Then you need to do some research on the company. Check online reviews. See what they have to say on Twitter or on their Facebook Page – and, more importantly, what are others saying about them? What kind of earned reputation do they have?
As always, we also need to rely on our own good judgement – caveat emptor – “let the buyer beware.”
One-stop farm safety database
Thanks to the Farm Safety branch of Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, the Farm Safety Online database is set to launch this spring. According to Kenda Lubeck, farm safety coordinator, the database is for clients and partners who expressed interest in “a one-stop collection of individuals and organizations that can offer a service or who promote farm safety in Alberta.”
Services include first aid training, event planning, development of safety products or resources, and more.
“That way if someone, for instance, contacts us looking for a guest speaker on the topic of farm safety, we can show them the database and they will be able to find a suitable contact,” Kenda said. “Likewise, if someone else is in need of an instructor for a training program such as tractor or skid steer operation.”
When I asked Kenda if her department will actually endorse entries, she said no, that it’s “purely a sharing of contact information for the purposes of networking to benefit farm safety efforts in Alberta. The success of the database will be in the number of contacts. It is important that we have participation from a wide selection of entries to make the database user-friendly.”
Let me know if you have any online safety databases to recommend. Thanks to Kenda for sharing their story.
