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FARM SAFETY - Rural OHS in Agriculture

Note: This Southern OHS Solutions article was published in 2007 and therefore aspects may have changed or been updated since then.  This article is copyright and must not be reproduced without written permission.  Any questions about this article can be directed to southernohs@optusnet.com.au 

Note: The ASCC is now known as Safework Australia

The Australian Safety and Compensation Council (ASCC) recently commissioned a study in the agricultural industry which revealed some alarming statistics in this sector.

In 2003-04 the national incidence rate of work related injuries in the agricultural sector was 27 for every 1,000 workers.  Considering the number of workers in the agricultural industry (which includes fishing and forestry) this equates to more than a dozen injuries every day somewhere in Australia!  

Add in 11 fatalities for every 100,000 agricultural workers, which is nearly five times more than the national average for all other industries, it does not paint a pretty picture on safety for the farming sector.

The top three (3) main injury issues were:

Sprains and strains (usually associated with manual handling tasks or a lot of bending leading to body stressing)
Being hit or struck by moving objects (which includes limbs being caught in moving machinery parts, run over by tractors etc)
Slips/trips and falls (particularly working at heights)

The national study suggested that many farmers accepted a high level of risk and there was a perception about safety that meant buying new equipment which costs too much money or having non-farmers telling farmers what to do.  

National bodies need to find ways to work with farmers and take into account their priorities, individualism and values so that the safety culture improves and farmers better manage their risks effectively and efficiently.  This is something the National Farmers Federation appears to be very supportive of.

With the federal government overseeing Drought Assistance and Farmbis (a state and federal cooperative supporting farmers) providing grants and funding to farmers seeking professional advice to manage their enterprise, it is now time to seek that support to minimise the impact of the drought and maximise profits, output and of course safety.  

Southern OHS Solutions has a variety of services which can help the rural farm sector manage risks and also provides the following tips for farmers which might help demonstrate some lower cost ways of keeping themselves and their families safe.

 

Cost effective OHS solutions

Farmers and their families have the best understanding of the many things that can go wrong on a farm, because it is only possible to eliminate or minimise risks when you know how a farm works.

Some simple tips and by no means exhaustive include:

Invest in some farm safety awareness training and education.  
Sometimes the Australian Government provides free seminars for farmers.  There is nothing to lose by going along to one of these seminars!
Invest in proper machinery training and develop some simple but effective operating procedures that help users avoid unnecessary risks.
Network with other farmers to find out what sorts of prevention measures they have invested in, whether that be guarding or simply a different way of doing something which makes it safer and easier.
Ensure that those who use equipment are properly trained, competent and know how to use it safely.
Carry out risk assessments! While this may appear to some as nothing but paper work, in reality the act of spending time to write down and assess the risks on hazardous tasks, manual handling and plant/machinery might just be what prevents an injury!  Awareness is half the battle!
Look around for low-cost easy to fit guarding, particularly to tractors (eg: platform access guards) and machinery connected to tractors - even additional hand rails can be a god send when undertaking manual handling tasks.
Install guarding on all machinery, particularly around wheels and moving parts of tractors - and there are a lot of low cost and effective homemade options that could be sourced.  Also remember the smallest person on your property (eg: young children) and build guards to prevent the smallest fingers!
Utes, vehicles and tractors should be reversed into their sheds so that every time they are used any dangers can be seen and no one is going to run behind them.  Most accidents of this nature occur when vehicles are being taken out of the shed.
Fit jockey wheels to trailers because this will minimise the need to lift and haul trailers when hooking them up to a vehicle.  
Livestock head lock devices can be used to prevent sudden movement of livestock during ear tagging, tattooing, mouthing, etc tasks.
In grain silos, use a sampling cup attached to a long rod rather than getting in the silo when carrying out grain tests.
Electricity is a major issue so install Residual Current Devices (RCD) where possible to fixed circuit boards and carry around portable RCDs.  These act like a safety switch and could save a life! 
Extension cords, air hoses etc can be suspended from the ceiling in containers like hose reels rather than lying across shed floors which will minimise tripping and damage to the cord.  It also enables the cords to be easily tidied up out of the way after use. 
Make sure you mix or decant chemicals in well ventilated and bunded areas.
Store chemicals as they should be stored, securely and contained within bunding, and refer to the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for guidance.  EG: cool dry places and not near chemicals it could react with. 
Keep young children off high areas such as the top of water tanks, silos and sheds by ensuring any ladders have barriers fixed over a part of them to prevent climbing.
Installing ramps instead of steps helps those weary feet after long hours of working and walking!
Consider investing in something like the "Farm Sentinel Unit" which is an emergency device for a farmer stranded or injured and unable to summons help.  It automatically sends tones to a base, eg: farmhouse to alert occupants that there is an emergency.  
Finally, having an induction program for any new person who comes onto the farm - particularly contractors.  While this may sound a bit over the top, you have a legal obligation to make your property safe to others who work there, and the induction can be as simple as giving them a map which identifies areas of risk (particularly underground piping and power lines) and a quick verbal overview of things they should be aware of.

This is just the tip of an iceberg for farm safety.  At the end of the day we all want to finish work safely and healthy and have quality unimpeded time with our families.  Investing in farm safety is therefore good for everyone and the culture needs to change so that farmers can enjoy a quality of life not interrupted by injuries and down time to their enterprise!

For further information or assistance please contact us by email.

 

Disclaimer: This article is published for information purposes only and contains items of general opinion and is dated 2007.  It should not be used in place of individual professional advice. Southern OHS Solutions accepts no liability arising from the use or reliance on the material written above.  Use of any of the above information is at own risk and you should make your own assessment as to whether it will work in your farm, and obtain appropriate professional advice relevant to your circumstances.

 

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Last modified: December 15, 2011