Farmers work in the elements, with large animals, chemicals, heavy machinery, working at heights and in confined spaces. Working with heavy loads, Working alone and in remote locations.

Farming has a very high-risk profile and when you add this to the fact that farming is not just a job but also a lifestyle you realise that there are a myriad of cultural behaviours that go along with that, you begin to understand why it is so hard to make farms safer. The awareness and assessment of the risks that are inherent on farm are vital to the lives of every member of the family and every employee and contractor, no matter the age, no matter the gender.

To ensure that every person returns home safely every day as the sun goes down, our farmers need to be equipped with the knowledge and resources that will keep them safe every day of their life.

A farm foreman was using a grain elevator to load a truck from a silo. Some straw and trash had collected around the top roller bearing of the elevator discharge. Having seen this and while standing on the back of the truck, he reached up to clear away the build-up of straw, overbalanced and grabbed the top of the elevator with his other hand. His hand became entangled in the drive resulting in serious crush and de-gloving injury to his hand and fingers.

The incident was investigated by a work health and safety inspector. An improvement notice was issued but there was no prosecution or fine as the farm had a WHS plan in place that included ensuring that the machine was properly maintained, guards were in place and that safety induction and instruction in the use of the grain elevator had been provided for all workers. The worker also admitted that he was working contrary to safe work instructions given to him.

This business had utilized the Managing Grain Production Safety materials as the basis of its WHS development and had done all that was “reasonably practicable” to maintain health and safety in their workplace. Despite the occurrence of an injury to a worker, no proceedings were taken against the business as it had an effective WHS plan and system in place which it implemented.

A prawn trawler crew member who was not wearing a personal flotation device (PFD) fell overboard while releasing a net into the sea. He drowned before his fellow workers could rescue him. While the company had PFD's in place on the trawler, they did not have in place any procedures which required crew members to wear life jackets.

The Magistrate stated that he regarded the offence as very serious given the foreseeable consequence of death resulting from a crew member falling overboard whilst not wearing a life jacket, and given his view that the company had shown a disregard for the safety of its crew members. A fine of $60,000 was imposed after reduction for guilty plea from notional fine of $70,000. On appeal, this was subsequently reduced to $48,000.

Although PFD’s were available, the business had not followed due process in having a system in place to identify when PFDs should be used and how to use them. Simply having Personal Protective Equipment available without ensuring its use when relevant circumstances are present (e.g. weather or specific work practices), is not a satisfactory defence under WHS law.

You need to have a well defined WHS system/plan that addresses known risks using best practice control measures, implement it, maintain relevant records of such and revise it.