Govt to rethink farm health and safety rules with practical reforms
Farmers are welcoming new Government proposals to make farm health and safety rules more practical and grounded in real-world farming.
WorkSafe New Zealand is calling on farmers to consider how vehicles move inside their barns and sheds, following a sentencing for a death at one of South Canterbury’s biggest agribusinesses.
Louis van Heerden was crushed to death by a hydraulic tailgate on a trailer at Turley Farms Limited near Temuka in March 2022. The 45-yearold had been standing at the back of a dark, narrow shed as a spotter while grass seed was being tipped off the trailer.
WorkSafe investigators found Turley Farms had no specific plan in place for managing farm traffic indoors and that workers should not have been permitted in such a restricted space.
Turley Farms was sentenced at Timaru District Court last month, fined $247,500 and ordered to pay reparations of $201,477.
“Farmers are tempting fate if they think traffic only needs to be managed outdoors. Without a clear plan for how vehicles and people move around indoor barns and sheds, it’s only a matter of time before something goes terribly wrong,” says WorkSafe’s area investigation manager, Steve Kelly.
“This is a good reminder to take a critical look at how tractors and other vehicles move around inside farm buildings. Clear separation of vehicles and pedestrians is the key component. Signage and designated safe areas are also simple and inexpensive ways to boost safety – especially when compared to a conviction and a fine.”
Following the fatality, Turley Farms has introduced reversing cameras, closing alarms, and isolation valves to the back of its trailers.
Vehicles are a leading cause of death and injury on New Zealand farms, which is why agriculture is a priority sector under WorkSafe’s new strategy. Agriculture accounts for around 25% of serious acute harm while having only 6% of employment.
WorkSafe warns that businesses must manage their risks, and Work- Safe’s role is to influence businesses to meet their responsibilities and keep people healthy and safe.
“When they do not, we will take action.”
According to the most recent Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey, farmer confidence has inched higher, reaching its second highest reading in the last decade.
From 1 October, new livestock movement restrictions will be introduced in parts of Central Otago dealing with infected possums spreading bovine TB to livestock.
Phoebe Scherer, a technical manager from the Bay of Plenty, has won the 2025 Young Grower of the Year national title.
The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards, providing the opportunity to honour both rising talent and industry stalwarts.
Award-winning boutique cheese company, Cranky Goat Ltd has gone into voluntary liquidation.
As an independent review of the National Pest Management Plan for TB finds the goal of complete eradication by 2055 is still valide, feedback is being sought on how to finish the job.
OPINION: Westland Milk may have won the contract to supply butter to Costco NZ but Open Country Dairy is having…
OPINION: The Gene Technology Bill has divided the farming community with strong arguments on both the pros and cons of…