Farm safety campaign ahead of harvest time

The importance of staying safe on farms is being highlighted by the WorkSafe Victoria ‘It’s never you, until it is’ campaign.

Tragically, six work-related deaths have occurred in agriculture this year, taking the number of workplace deaths in the industry to 38 since 2020. Fatigue, working alone and with heavy machinery, increased vehicle traffic and working near overhead powerlines are among the common risks for workers in the agriculture industry.

It’s never you, until it is has been launched again to offer practical safety solutions for farmers and encourage conversations around safety.

WorkSafe inspector Deb Domain said as the busy harvest season approached, now was the time to think about getting through it safely and efficiently.

“Stand back and think about what risks there are — if there is going to be fatigue, if you’re going to have new workers that need to be inducted properly — even do a walkthrough with somebody, they might see something that you haven’t seen before,” she said.

“Consider what job you’re doing, do your risk assessment and think about how you’re going to best protect yourself and your livelihood.”

Paramedic Tom Connellan — who is part of the safety campaign — grew up on his family’s sheep, cattle and cropping farm and now responds to medical emergencies in the Swan Hill region. He said there are some common myths around safety in agriculture that need to be busted.

“The biggest thing is that people think ‘she’ll be right mate’ or ‘things won’t happen to me’, which is a very common misconception that certainly I grew up with,” Connellan said.

“It’s a shock for some people because you might go for generations without incident and then one day, out of the blue, something can go wrong with a job that’s really routine and change peoples’ lives forever.”

By sharing his own experiences, Connellan is hoping to help turn the tide of fatalities and serious injuries being suffered in farming workplaces.

“My view surrounding safety on farms changed through my work after going to not only farming incidents, but workplace incidents in general,” he said.

“When it comes to incidents on farms, the first thing I think of is ‘preventable’, because for the most part, with a little bit more planning or the right safety gear, they could have been avoided and everyone could have gone home intact at the end of day.”

Image credit: iStock.com/pixdeluxe. Stock image used is for illustrative purposes only.