It's harvest time in Manitoba, which means more farm equipment will be on the road in rural areas. While this harvest happens every year, Glen Blahey of the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association says it's an important reminder.

"We tend to forget, we tend to overlook," he says, "there have been several studies that indicate if you haven't performed a task or haven't been exposed to an activity for six months or more, you, generally, for the first couple of days, operate like a novice."

Farm safety is important not just for farmers, but for people living in rural areas around farmland. Blahey gives us four tips on farm safety.

1. Be careful and cautious on the road

"Sometimes ag equipment will be making left-hand turns, and before any motorist tries to overtake or pass a piece of farm equipment, they should very carefully assess the situation to make sure they can safely overtake or pass that piece of equipment," he says.

Drivers should look for lights on the equipment, and understand that tractors, combines, and swathers generally move slowly.

He also reminds equipment operators to be careful when driving on a roadway.

"If they are moving large equipment, particularly if they are moving that equipment early in the morning or late in the evening, it really is advisable that they have a pilot vehicle with radio contact to the operator of the equipment so the pilot vehicle can guide that equipment operator safely."

2. Stay fuelled

"We all know how important it is to make sure the equipment is serviced and properly fuelled, but it's also equally important to make sure the operators and the people doing the work are properly fuelled," he says.

Blahey says operators need to drink plenty of water and eat good food. He says they shouldn't eat on the go, but rather should stop for about five minutes every couple of hours.

3. One seat, one operator

It may be fun to take a friend or family member for a ride in the swather or combine, but if there is no passenger seat, there shouldn't be a passenger.

"Recently, there was a situation where a father had taken his child for a ride on the combine," he says. "The child was standing inside the cab area near the front window of the combine. The combine stopped suddenly. The child fell against the window and the window fell out of the combine, and the child fell into the header of the combine while it was operating."

Blahey says people often call that a freak accident, but to ensure an accident doesn't happen, it's important not to bring a passenger if the farm equipment is not designed to carry more than the operator.

4. Be cautious about grain bins

With increasingly larger grain bins, grain entrapment is critical to keep in mind. Blahey says if a farmer needs to go into their grain bin when it's being filled or emptied, all loading or unloading processes should be stopped completely before doing so. They should also be wearing a harness with a lifeline in case they begin to sink in the grain.

"What we have to keep in mind is that when an average male who weighs 175 lbs and stands 5'10'', if they are submerged in grain up to their chest, it takes close to 800 lbs of force to pull them out," he says.