Now that seeding is around the corner here are some Work Health Safety and Award house-keeping tips for farmer employers.
WORK HEALTH AND SAFETY
South Australian farmers are being fatally injured at a rate of almost five times their share of the workforce. On top of the high fatality rate, every week nine South Australian primary producers are injured seriously enough to access workers compensation. Frustratingly, many fatalities and serious injuries are preventable.
Commodity groups most at risk of serious injury are those working in sheep, beef cattle and grain production, followed by grape growing and fruit and tree nut growing. For the period from 2012-2016, the most common farm injuries across the agriculture sector were caused by:
- Muscular stress while manual handling or lifting
- Falls on the same level
- Vehicle accidents
- Being hit by animals
As an experienced farmer, you may think you have safety covered – but it’s experienced farmers who are most likely to die on-farm.
