General News
14 November, 2024
Focus on farm safety
Many communities across the Wimmera have suffered the loss from farm fatalities during the past 12 months.
Across the state, six deaths related to work have occurred in agriculture this year, taking the number of deaths in the industry to 38 since 2020.
A WorkSafe spokeswoman confirmed at least two of those fatalities had occurred in the Wimmera.
The current WorkSafe campaign "It's never you, until it is" is aimed at improving the culture of safety in agriculture and encouraging important conversations around farm safety.
Statistics reveal more people die on farms than any other place of work.
From growing up on his family's cattle, cropping and sheep farm to now responding to medical emergencies, Mallee paramedic Tom Connellan has a unique perspective on the common myths around safety in agriculture and why they need to be busted.
"The biggest thing is that people think 'she'll be right mate', or 'things won't happen to me', which is a very common misconception that certainly I grew up with," he said.
"It's a shock for some people because you might go for generations without incident and then one day, out of the blue, something can go wrong with a job that's really routine and change people's lives forever."
Mr Connellan said his view surrounding farm safety changed through his work after going to countless incidents across all types of workplaces.
“When it comes to incidents on farms, the first thing I think of is whether it is preventable, because for the most part, with a little bit more planning or the right safety gear, they could have been avoided and everyone could have gone home intact at the end of day," he said.
WorkSafe inspector Deb Domain said as the busy harvest season approached, now was the time to think about getting through it efficiently and safely.
"Stand back and think about what risks there are – if there is going to be fatigue, if you're going to have new workers that need to be inducted properly – even do a walk-through with somebody, they might see something that you haven't seen before," she said.
"Consider what job you're doing, do your risk assessment and think about how you're going to best protect yourself and your livelihood."
Fatigue, working alone and with heavy machinery, increased vehicle traffic and working near overhead power lines are among the common risks at harvest time which can be managed with simple measures for safety.
These include having adequate breaks, having appropriate guarding on machinery and maintaining the correct distance from power lines and cables.