Calls for farm vehicle safety tales
Industry-led farm safety organisation, Safer Farms is urging farmers to share their first-hand experiences with reducing harm on farms.
Checking tyre pressure on quad bikes should be a fundamental health and safety process, says WorkSafe New Zealand.
There have been 75 fatalities across the country since 2006. A further 614 people have been seriously injured.
The reminder comes after a fatality on Tui Glen Farms in Wharepuhunga in the Waikato in January 2020.
An experienced employee was fatally injured when the quad bike they were riding with their dog rolled on a steeply sloping area of the farm. The victim was found pinned underneath the bike.
A WorkSafe investigation round that the quad bike provided to the staff member had incorrectly inflated tyres with significant variations of over-inflation of tyre pressures. It also found that the staff member had not been trained and instructed on how to check and maintain tyre pressure.
“Planning on the farm needed to include a more comprehensive system for checking the quad bikes tyre pressure,” says WorkSafe area investigation manager Paul West.
WorkSafe recommends that farmers consider what vehicles are best suited for the different roles and terrain of their farms. A side by side vehicle or farm ute may be a safer option than a quadbike for some jobs.
WorkSafe also recommends that businesses consider installing crush protection devices (CPDs) on the back of quad bikes. Currently, WorkSafe are working with ACC on a cash back offer on CPDs.
Tui Glen Farms have since installed CPDs on its quad bike and purchased a side by side vehicle and two-wheeled motorbikes.
The Climate Change Commission wants the new Government to reduce NZ Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction volumes as son as possible.
Southland-based Mataura Valley Milk can now lay claim to be the first all-electric dairy factory in New Zealand.
Dairy sheep and goat farmers are being told to reduce milk supply as processors face a slump in global demand for their products.
Meat co-operative Alliance Group has bagged four gold medals at the Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards, achieving top honours for every cut entered.
There is increasing evidence that dairy demand is on the upswing, according to Rabobank senior agricultural analyst Emma Higgins.
Fertiliser use in New Zealand over the 18 months is about 25% down from what it consistently was for the previous decade or more, says Ravensdown chief operating officer Mike Whitty.
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