Farming fatalities spark safety call

WorkCover NSW is appealing to the farming and agriculture industry to make safety a priority after three fatalities in a recent two-week period during 20 March-2 April.

According to WorkCover NSW figures, there have been an additional six notifiable fatalities in the NSW farming and agriculture industry up to February for the 2013-14 period.

WorkCover Work Health and Safety Division General Manager John Watson said the incidents were a tragic reminder of the need for farmers and agriculture workers to make safety a priority.

“Farming is a high-risk job and every farm-related death and injury has a devastating impact on families, communities and the industry,” Watson said.

“Farm owners know that a safe farm is a sustainable one and the NSW Government and WorkCover NSW are working closely with the industry to make rural workplaces safer and more productive.

“With many farm roles involving work in remote areas or in isolation away from emergency assistance and first aid, having safe work systems for farm workers is essential.

“There can be many contributing factors to incidents and we are urging farmers and farm workers to make safety a priority at all times.”

On Thursday 20 March, a 53-year-old male truck driver suffered fatal injuries at a cotton gin on Watercourse Road, Moree, in Northern NSW when he was run over by a module truck that was unloading cotton bales from his truck.

The second death occurred on a farm at Pilliga in the state’s northwest on Saturday 29 March when a 73-year-old male self-employed farmer died after he was struck by a tractor he was using to feed horses on the property.

A 37-year-old man was electrocuted on a farm at Cudal in the state’s central west on Wednesday 2 April. WorkCover inquiries indicate that the man was driving a tractor to spray weeds on the property when the arms on the spray boom connected to the tractor came into contact with an overhead power line. It is believed the man alighted from the tractor while the boom was in contact with the power line and was electrocuted as a result.

“In addition to these three deaths, as recent as this week an 85-year-old man was crushed by a shed door on his farm at Parkes in the state’s central west on Tuesday 29 April. Inquiries are continuing into the circumstances of this tragedy,” Watson said.

A range of programs and incentives is available to help farmers make their farms safer, Watson said.

“WorkCover is looking to work with farmers to help them develop a practical plan that they can put in place to address safety issues before we have the tragedy and cost that injures all too often result in,” he said.

“We have developed a 15-minute farm safety checklist which I encourage all farmers to complete.

“We are also working closely with the farming industry to develop practical and sustainable ways to improve safety on farms as well as identifying ways to get injured workers safely back to work sooner.

“Farmers can book a free advisory visit. The aim of these visits is to make the farm as safe and productive as possible. Farmers can be assured that these visits will be undertaken in a purely advisory capacity.”

For a range of WorkCover NSW information, including the 15 Minute Farm Safety Checklist, go online to www.workcover.nsw.gov.au