NATIONAL Farm Safety week aims to remind farmers to remember the importance of maintaining secure workplace practices.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Held from July 16 to 22, the week’s purpose is to recognise that agriculture remains one of the most dangerous industries in the country.
In 2017, there were 68 farm deaths in Australia.
Victorian Farmers Federation president and Murra Warra farmer David Jochinke said it was important for all agriculture workers to remain vigilant with their own safety and the safety of others.
“A common attitude is that people won’t ask their employees to put themselves in a potentially dangerous situation, like climbing a ladder, but instead they do it themselves,” he said.
“In the end, dangerous situations are dangerous to everyone, and people shouldn’t be putting themselves or their employees in harms way.
“When injuries happen on a farm, they don’t just affect the person injured, they affect everyone.
“It’s important that people are aware of their situation at all times on a farm and really think about the dangers associated with the task at hand.”
He said the VFF were currently working on a safety package.
“We have reached out to the state government to help us develop a farm safety package,” he said.
“The package covers not just the physical aspects of creating a safe work environment, but the technical side too.”
Related: Safety concerns for quad bike use
Farmsafe Australia chairman Charles Armstrong said it was important all Australian farmers were focused, alert, and prepared when operating farming equipment.
“Having safety as a major aspect of our business will not only reduce risks to those who work and live on our farms, it will also improve our bottom line. Safe farms are profitable farms,” he said.
“We want to see every farm across Australia take steps to improve safety every day.”
For information about how you can stay safe on the farm, head to the agriculture section of WorkSafe’s website.
