Farm safety: WorkSafe telehandler course for farmers abandoned

Victoria’s farming body has slammed current rules for using telehandlers on farm after WorkSafe abandoned plans for a practical course.

WorkSafe stands accused of making Victorian farms “more dangerous” after its officers walked away from three years of negotiations to develop a practical, low-cost rural telehandler course.

The Victorian Farmers Federation says there’s been a flood of telehandlers onto farms and other rural worksites in recent years, given their versatility in moving hay, cotton, fruit bins, soil, fertiliser and grain, with attachments ranging from hay grabs and tines to posthole diggers.

But unlike every other state Victoria’s WorkSafe authority demands anyone using a telehandler weighing more than three tonnes obtains both dogger and crane licences or risk prosecution.

The cost of obtaining the two licences is about $3000, they take about eight days to complete, are based in Melbourne and focus on lifting loads on building sites, not agricultural work – such as handling hay, cotton bales, fruit crates or shifting grain.

VFF grains group councillor Russell Hocking, said the failure to develop a practical course for farmers meant they were either not bothering to get a licence or buying lighter, less stable telehandlers that were at or below the 3-tonne threshold, which were not as safe.

“(Some) people are scared they don’t have a licence, so they buy smaller machines, which are nowhere near as stable,” Mr Hocking said. “WorkSafe is making farms more dangerous, not safer.”

Among those farmers who have bought heavier machines Mr Hocking said more than 80 per cent would not have the licence, given most of the dogger and crane licence training was irrelevant to agriculture.

The VFF has spent the past three years trying to develop a one-day course in partnership with WorkSafe to help farmers gain a statement of competency for telehandlers, as exists in other states, to avoid the risk of prosecution if an accident strikes.

But after numerous meetings, a major review, government funding for consultants to determine how farmers use telehandlers and barriers to training, WorkSafe last week walked away from the whole process, telling the VFF it would await a 2024 national review of training requirements.

A WorkSafe spokeswoman said it continued to “engage with stakeholders on telehandler licencing reform, including measures to support the agriculture industry,” but then went on to state it was now liaising with SafeWork Australia on a national crane licencing review.

VFF president Emma Germano said reports commissioned by WorkSafe “found the current licensing system is fundamentally flawed yet they choose not to act.

“Not fixing the training demonstrates that WorkSafe have prioritised compliance over safety.”