Unsafe machinery is a major cause of concern.WORKSAFE Victoria inspectors have issued more than 200 safety improvement notices in the first three months of a statewide farm safety campaign.
The year-long campaign began at the start of July and targets the most common causes of death and serious injury on farms.
Improvement notices require safety improvements to be made within a set timeframe.
A breakdown of notices issued from 1 July to the end of September found that more than half were issued for safety issues around plant and equipment – one of the biggest causes of workplace injury and death, WorkSafe’s Executive Director (Health and Safety), Ian Forsyth, said. “One of our biggest concerns is the lack of guarding on power take-off (PTO) shafts which can turn at thousands of revolutions a minute.
“A PTO guard is basically a life-saving device which protects you from getting caught up in the rotating parts which connect a tractor with an attachment like an auger or a slasher.
“If you not using a PTO guard, you’re putting yourself and others at risk of being pulled into the rotating shaft by hair or clothing.
“Most farmers would have a good understanding of what a fast-rotating shaft looks like.
“You don’t need a lot of imagination to understand what happens when something goes wrong,” he said.
WorkSafe’s warning comes at a time when Victoria is expecting a bumper crop, Mr Forsyth said.
“Things may have been a bit quieter for farmers over winter – now that the days are longer and farmers are gearing up for harvesting, the pressure is really on,” he said.
“Now is the time to get safety right. If you’ve been farming for decades, it’s time to start thinking the job through rather than just relying on your skills and experience,” Mr Forsyth said.
Eight fatalities on Victorian farms have been notified to WorkSafe Victoria since this time last year.
