Be safe, avoid fatigue
Concern about fatigue impacts during a busy season prompted Rural Contractors New Zealand to launch a campaign about the risks. Chief executive Andrew Olsen explains.
Rural Contractors NZ have launched a campaign today against the risks of fatigue in their industry.
RCNZ chief executive Andrew Olsen says because they work seasonally, drive big machines and face weather and crop timing challenges, rural contractors need to manage fatigue risks.
“We are saying there are risks for everyone if you push yourself or others too hard.”
Steve Murray, a second-generation Canterbury rural contractor and former RCNZ president has fronted three short videos. These have been professionally produced by farm machinery supplier Power Farming which has previously worked with Steve and is right behind the campaign. These include one video aimed at employers.
“Rural contractors take their health & safety responsibilities seriously, but the video says they need to talk about the F word – fatigue,” says Andrew Olsen.
“Our members are up against it with the weather, crop deadlines and client expectations but they can put themselves and their staff under too much pressure. They need to build in breaks and pace things so no one gets fatigued which can cause stress and much worse.”
A second video is aimed at employees. “They’ve also got to do their bit to avoid fatigue. That includes not arriving at work really tired or stressed or hungover or unwell; if they are, or see others with such effects, they’ve got to sing out to avoid people are being put at risk.”
The third video gives tips on avoiding fatigue including eating good food, drinking lots of fluids and taking breaks. The videos are supported by more detailed material on the RCNZ website.
Olsen asks all stakeholders to view and share the campaign’s details including farmers and other landowners.
“We all have a role to play. Rural contractors can sometimes be put under too much pressure to meet impossible deadlines especially when the weather plays up and crops need harvesting.
“Big machines may be able to operate 24 hours a day but those behind the wheel need their sleep and breaks to be able to do the job safely.
“The last thing anyone wants is for a fatigued driver to do harm to themselves or someone else. We are saying let’s all work for a safe season by avoiding fatigue.”
NZPork has appointed Auckland-based Paul Bucknell as its new chair.
The Government claims to have delivered on its election promise to protect productive farmland from emissions trading scheme (ETS) but red meat farmers aren’t happy.
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.
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.