WorkSafe Victoria says safety plans save farmers

The day-to-day decisions farmers make at work can result in major impacts — even serious injury and death. Here’s why WorkSafe Victoria is encouraging you to have a safety plan.

WorkSafe Victoria is encouraging farmers to have a safety plan.

THE day-to-day decisions farmers make at work — whether cautiously deliberate or on the spur of the moment — can result in major impacts, even serious injury and death.

That’s the message WorkSafe Victoria is anxious to get across during VirtuAg, as the organisation’s program manager, agriculture practice, Graham Phelps, speaks to Ed Gannon, editor of The Weekly Times, as part of the VirtuAg webinar series.

“Safety on farms is the result of a whole range of decisions farmers make,” Mr Phelps said.

“Some may revolve around sitting down and really thinking through a comprehensive safety plan, but, conversely, many everyday choices are made on the run.

“Do I bother putting on the PPE this time to handle the chemicals? Do I really need to wear the helmet just for nipping out on the bike for a few minutes?

“Farmers and farm workers make up 2 per cent of the Victorian workforce, but account for 30 per cent of workplace deaths.

“You’re 15 times more likely to die at work if you’re on a farm than the average worker in ­Victoria — and that’s been the case for years.

“Eighty farmers or farm workers have lost their lives at work over the past 10 years, with the two biggest killers being machinery, accounting for 75-78 per cent of fatalities, and handling livestock.

“That’s been the situation for decades, with plant and livestock responsible for about 90 per cent of farm deaths.

“We believe farmers are taking safety more seriously now. We’ve just finished a four-year campaign promoting quad bike OPD rebates and over 6000 Victorian farms took advantage of that offer. Six thousand out of 21,000 farms in Victoria is a phenomenal result.”

Mr Phelps said the state’s new manslaughter laws also presented a sober reminder to agricultural employers about their responsibilities.

“Many farms are now coming into harvest time, so the influx of additional workers brings an extra requirement to induct them, train and support them with their safety in mind,” he said.

The webinar series is just one part of VirtuAg, Australia’s virtual field days, with 62 exhibitors offering field days specials across many goods and services.

VirtuAg runs until November 15 at virtuag.com.au

• Graham Phelps will join a panel of experts for a free webinar on October 29