On average 17 people die in farm workplace incidents every year and last summer almost 550 farmers suffered injuries serious enough to require at least a week off work.
“We all need to step up and take individual responsibility for our unacceptable health and safety performance,” group general manager Tony Watson said.
“No one wants to see anyone injured on the farm and there is a clear expectation from our consumers, our communities and our regulator that we need to do better or face the threat of greater regulation.
“Farmers can take simple steps to reduce the chances of things going wrong.
“Safety protection is a no-brainer and not enough farmers are using the right equipment to stop people getting hurt.
“Tractors come with safety frames but as farmers using quad bikes why are we not insisting they come with the same level of protection?
“Unfortunately, quad bikes as they are currently used don’t have any safety features to prevent injury in the event of a rollover unless a farmer has retrofitted some form of bar or frame that will provide a safe space for them if their quad does go over.
“Farmers do need to consider if quad bikes are the right vehicle for the right job.
“If a seat-belt is fitted in the tractor, ute or side-by-side then farmers should be smart and use it just like it’s expected in the car. A seatbelt could well stop the driver getting ejected from the vehicle if it rolls – you just need to watch a crash test dummy video to see this for yourself,” Watson said.
Fewer farmers died in workplace accidents in 2017 than in any year since 2009.
The number of people injured on farms and needing more than a week off work is also declining.
However, despite the downward trend, farm workplace fatalities in 2018 were back to the long-term average of 17 people a year.
“We have seen a spate of farm workplace incidents in recent months.
“It comes down to a few minutes of the working day.
“It’s about farmers asking themselves what could go wrong? What am I doing about it? And, is it enough?
“This period, going into autumn is often a time when there are some big jobs to do, which often means using large vehicles or having contractors on farm.
“So, it’s a good time to think about health and safety.
“Farmers should think about the jobs ahead and what the risks might be. If farmers have got people working with them on the farm they should talk to them about the risks – including any safety issues from previous years or anything that’s changed.
“Keep talking and listening.
“Before any farmer or a worker does any job they should take a few moments to think it through. What are the likely risks, how are you going to manage them and what are the best tools for the job?
“It’s been a crazy weather season.
“Many parts of the country have heaps more feed than usual – long grass can hide obstacles and ruts that are normally easy to see.
“Farmers shouldn’t let this abundance of feed turn into a hazard on the farm.
“Farmers should also take extra precautions – they need to slow down a bit, wear the seatbelt in the ute or tractor and fit a safety frame or roll bar to the quad.
“The rural sector doesn’t want another statistic. The farm businesses and families need everyone to come home safe and well.”
Andrew Morrison, chair of
Beef + Lamb New Zealand chairman Andrew Morrison, a group director, said some farmers have stepped up and made health and safety a priority on the farm but the sector needs to lift its game further.
“Every single one of us needs to take responsibility and move from talking about safety to farming safely every day.
“Family and community are the foundations of rural NZ. In many cases, family members are working in your farm business or supporting other farm businesses so we need to look after each other.
“We should be prepared to call out unsafe behaviour or practices.
“Although that can be a difficult conversation, it can go a long way to ensuring someone does not get hurt.
“The agriculture sector has a problem with health and safety.
“We may be the world’s best farmers but we have a terrible track record of looking after ourselves and each other on the farm and this has to change.”
