Annual Health and Safety Review

Why do an annual review?

Farms change slowly. New animals arrive, children grow, equipment ages, helpers come and go and a worn latch becomes a hazard. Without a regular look, risks accumulate unseen. Choose a date that you will remember, such as the first cold week or the end of the main harvest, and put it on the calendar a year ahead.

An annual review is not an inspection by an agency. It is your own check, done with family or partners, to decide what to fix and what to practice. Write down what you find so that next year's review can show whether things improved. A simple notebook kept in the binder is enough.

Take photos of problems you find, since pictures help when you are planning repairs and later when you check that fixes were made.

What should you check about your own health?

Schedule a physical, eye and hearing checks, dental visits and any screenings your doctor recommends. Update tetanus and other vaccinations as your doctor advises, and review medicines.

Ask yourself how you have been sleeping, eating and feeling. If stress or low mood has lingered, put it on the list to discuss with a clinician.

Be sure that fire extinguishers are the right type for where they are kept, and ask your local fire department to explain how to use them and how to check them.

• Physical and vision and hearing checks
• Vaccinations as advised by your doctor
• Medicine review with a pharmacist
• Honest look at sleep, mood and stress

What should you walk through on the property?

Walk every building and work area with a notebook. Look at electrical wiring, lighting, fire extinguishers, ladders, fences, gates, guards on equipment, storage of chemicals and fuel, and clear exits.

Check smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, test them and replace batteries. Ask your local fire department about a home safety visit if they offer one.

Review who works on your farm, including seasonal and young helpers, and make sure each has training for the tasks they do.

• Wiring, lights and fire extinguishers
• Ladders, rails and guards on equipment
• Chemical and fuel storage
• Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms

What about animals and equipment?

Review handling facilities, vaccination schedules, quarantine routines and emergency plans for animals with your veterinarian. Check that equipment has shields and working brakes and lights. Ask your veterinarian to walk through your handling setup once a year and point out anything that puts people or animals at risk.

Retire or repair what is worn out. A tool that nearly caused an accident last year will cause one eventually.

Add a short review of your emergency plan: where people would meet, who would call 911 and how responders would find you.

• Handling pens and gates
• Vaccination and parasite schedules
• Brakes, lights and shields on machines

How do you review plans and papers?

Update your emergency binder, contact lists and farm address directions. Check insurance coverage with your agent and make sure beneficiaries and key documents are current. Discuss who would run the farm if you were hurt. Think also about whether the people who help you know what to do if you cannot work, including where the key papers and passwords are kept.

This is general guidance. For legal, tax or financial questions, speak to a licensed attorney, accountant or adviser.

Check your weather alert plan too. Ask how you will receive warnings from the National Weather Service if you are in a field or sleeping.

How do you turn the review into action?

Choose the three most important fixes and put them on the calendar, with a name and a date beside each. Do the cheap and quick ones right away. Share the list at a family meeting and ask each person to take one item, so the work is not left to one person alone.

Teach what you learned to everyone who works on the farm, and practice one thing, such as an emergency drill, each year.

What do you do about older family members and helpers?

Review the needs of older relatives and long-time helpers each year. Strength, vision, hearing and reaction time change, and tasks that were fine a few years ago may need adjusting. Approach the topic with respect, and focus on keeping people safe and active.

Give everyone a voice. Younger family members may notice risks that older ones overlook, and the reverse is also true. A good review is a shared conversation, not an inspection.

• Match tasks to current abilities
• Offer tools that make jobs easier
• Listen to concerns from every age group
• Plan for succession and backup help

Last reviewed: November 12, 2026. Written by the Rural Farm Life Editorial Team. See our editorial policy.