16 Aug 2021

WorkSafe reminds farmers to be mindful of safety with five farm fatalities this year

11:25 am on 16 August 2021

WorkSafe is reminding farmers to be mindful of safety as they come into spring.

No caption

Photo: 123rf.com

Last year during the spring months of August and September on farm fatalities spiked to five.

The five deaths which ranged from a seven-year-old to a 79-year-old all involved vehicles.

WorkSafe spokesman Brent Austin said people working on farms should always wear a seatbelt if there is one fitted on their vehicle.

"What we do know is that almost half of all vehicle related deaths on farm could be avoided if seatbelts were used.

"Farmers should also install a crush protection device on their quad bike. In many incidents someone being crushed and unable to escape due to the weight of the bike is normally the contributing factor to fatal or life changing injuries."

Austin said farmers are grappling with a labour shortage and working longer hours so small safety steps can be missed.

"Workplace incidents don't discriminate between those with experience and those without. Mistakes can be made by even the most experienced operators. We know the pressure is on farmers, particularly considering labour shortages and the need to employ inexperienced, younger or older people to fill the gap, but now is not the time to cut corners where safety may be compromised.

"Lastly, but vitally important, safety responsibility sits with everyone. Make sure everyone gets involved in sharing their concerns and ideas for making the farm a safer place," Austin said.

There was a total of 20 on farm fatalities counted by WorkSafe in 2020 - there have been five so far this year.

Get the RNZ app

for ad-free news and current affairs