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.
Farmers must accept individual responsibility for the industry’s poor health and safety record, says an industry health and safety leader.
Tony Watson, general manager of the Agricultural Leaders’ Health and Safety Action Group (ALHSAG), says “no one wants to see anyone injured on the farm”.
“There is a clear expectation by our consumers, communities and regulator that we need to do better or face the threat of greater regulation.
“We all need to step up and take individual responsibility for our unacceptable health and safety performance.”
On average, 17 people die and almost 550 farmers are seriously injured each year in farm workplace incidents.
“Farmers can take simple steps to reduce the chances of things going wrong. Safety protection is a no-brainer and not enough farmers are using the right equipment to stop people getting hurt,” Watson says.
“Tractors come with safety frames. But with many farmers using quad bikes, why are we not insisting these come with the same level of protection, or [with a query whether] they are the right vehicle for the job.”
Fewer farmers died and serious injuries in workplace accidents declined in 2017 to the lowest figures since 2009. However, fatalities in 2018 were back to the long-term average of 17 people per year.
Watson says safety for farmers’ families, staff and themselves should begin with such questions as what could go wrong? What am I doing about it? Is it enough?”
The busy autumn period brings with it big jobs, long hours and typically contractors visiting the farm, so it is always a good time to address health and safety, he says.
“A good starting point is to review any issues that occurred in the past year, anything that’s changed and make a plan to mitigate any risks.
“Many regions have more feed than usual, so long grass may hide obstacles or ruts that are normally easy to see and might create a hazard risk.
“Farmers need to slow down, wear the seatbelt in the ute or tractor and consider fitting a safety frame or roll bar to their quad.”
Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.
The Ministry for the Environment is joining as a national award sponsor in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA from next year).
Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.
OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.
DairyNZ says its plantain programme continues to deliver promising results, with new data confirming that modest levels of plantain in pastures reduce nitrogen leaching, offering farmers a practical, science-backed tool to meet environmental goals.
'Common sense' cuts to government red tape will make it easier for New Zealand to deliver safe food to more markets.
OPINION: For years, the ironically named Dr Mike Joy has used his position at Victoria University to wage an activist-style…
OPINION: A mate of yours truly has had an absolute gutsful of the activist group SAFE.