Improving safety on Australia's farms

Responsible farming protects from all angles: Farmers need to ensure their animals are healthy, protect their business with farm insurance coverage and keep themselves and their workers safe.

Unfortunately, agricultural activities involve a significant degree of risk, exposing farmers and their employees to a wide range of potentially harmful situations. From heavy machinery to large animals, accidents claim lives and cause significant injuries every year.

In the effort to reduce these incidents, how is Australia doing? And what can you do to improve safety on your farm?

Making progress

Several recent reports highlighted some improvement in farm safety. According to a media monitoring report from the University of Sydney and the Australian Centre for Agricultural Health and Safety, the prevalence of on-farm fatal cases fell from 2013 to 2014. In 2013, 45 deaths were reported in the media from January to September, whereas this figure fell to 39 in the current year.

This trend extends over the past two decades, as researchers explained at the Farmsafe Conference held in Launceston in October. Professors Tony Lower and Noeline Monaghan revealed that the total number of deaths had declined by 65 per cent from 1990 to 2014, with the death rate per 10,000 farms also decreasing by an impressive 60 per cent.

Nonetheless, the sector remains dangerous compared to other industries. The presenters showed that the fatality incident rate for farming is higher than that of mining. The latter sector reduced work-related traumatic injury fatalities by 79 per cent since 2003, whereas agriculture's rate went down by only 35 per cent.

What are the biggest threats?

One of the first steps in addressing hazards on your farm is knowing where the greatest dangers lie. Both the media data report and the Farmsafe Conference presenters highlighted these agents:

• Tractors
• Quads
• Farm utilities, including electricity
• Motorcycles and two-wheelers

Horses and other animals, dams, water bodies, mobile machinery and plants, farm chemicals and other vehicles are also common risks.

Importantly, these dangers remain a threat not just to workers carrying out farm activities, but to anyone who uses the machines or is present on the property. The media monitoring report noted that almost 13 per cent of the deaths and 9 per cent of injuries involved a child 15 years old or younger.

The study also examined quad injuries that occurred off-farm during this time span, which added two deaths to the nine farm-related cases.

How can you boost your safety measures?

Mr Lower and Ms Monaghan suggested that the substantial reductions in injuries over the past 20 years means that leaders have already identified many strategies that work as far as improving farm safety goes. However, these need to be implemented more consistently and thoroughly to make further progress in reducing injuries and fatalities.

Farm safety is a broad issue, but here are a few considerations that could help you reduce the risk of injury on your site:

• Invest in farm equipment with safety technology. For example, Safe Work Australia highlighted the benefit of using newer tractors that have roll over protection structures (ROPS), which could prevent deaths in the event of a tractor rollover. Additionally, farmers can install affordable Safe Tractor Access Platforms to avoid run-over incidents.
• Improve quad bike safety and policies. Professor Raphael Grzebieta told attendees at the National Farm Safe Conference that researchers have been working on a rating system to help quad bike purchasers choose safer options. Safe Work Australia noted that some bike manufacturers are implementing crush protection devices. The organisation also suggested banning children under 16 from operating full-size bikes in workplaces.
• Wear helmets. Mr Lower and Ms Monaghan said that helmets could be effective in preventing deaths involving quads, motorbikes and horses.
• Restrict the presence of children. Instituting play areas for youngsters could keep them away from unsafe areas, such as ponds. Also, avoiding behaviour such as having passengers on quads or letting kids ride in trays are great ways to avoid accidents.

Ongoing education and training is always necessary for improving safety. You can find more information about safety strategies on the Safe Work Australia and Farmsafe websites.