Farm safety - risks and hazards

Farms are high-risk workplaces. The danger is compounded by an ageing farm workforce, poorer access to medical services, and the fact that farm workers are more likely to work alone.

Farming is consistently one of the highest-risk occupations, with a work-related fatality rate many times that of the general working population. Many hospital presentations for farm injuries go under-reported or unreported, which makes it hard to measure farm-related incidents accurately.

What the figures show#

Reported figures give a sense of the scale of the problem:

• Farm vehicles and machinery are among the leading causes of injury and death, with vehicles accounting for around 39% and machinery around 26% of injuries in one set of figures.
• The most common causes of death are tractors, quad bikes and side-by-side vehicles.
• The most common causes of injury are quad bikes, tractors and horses.
• Older workers are heavily affected. Those aged over 55 have accounted for well over half of work-related incidents and are significantly more likely to die than younger farmers.
• Males are over-represented, making up the large majority of fatalities, and children under 15 also account for a share of deaths.

A unique relationship between home and workplace#

Living on a farm creates a unique overlap between home and workplace, and several generations may live together on the same property. While this can bring benefits, it can also present risks to health, wellbeing and safety. Children and older farmers are at particularly high risk of farm fatalities and injury.

Farmers can become so used to hazards that they accept risk as part of everyday life and stop actively looking for ways to reduce it. Meeting with a farm safety advisor for a farm risk assessment and an employee induction toolkit is a good way to begin building a safer working environment.

Managing the risks#

Many farm risks can be managed by following the hierarchy of control:

• Elimination – removing an old tractor without appropriate safety features from the farm.
• Substitution – using smaller containers or packaging to reduce heavy loads.
• Engineering controls – reconfiguring livestock yards to minimize physical contact with animals.
• Administrative controls – limiting hours worked and building in regular breaks to reduce fatigue.
• PPE – using correctly fitted earplugs when exposed to high-noise environments.

Tips for making your farm safer#

• Create safe play areas for your children.
• Maintain all machinery, equipment and infrastructure with routine service and repairs.
• Simplify farm systems to reduce complexity and confusion.
• Develop a farm safety culture, making safety a normal part of conversations in your farming business.
• Provide everyone with their own PPE and a clean place to store it when not in use.
• Recognize that “better beats perfect” when it comes to safety.

Farm safety organizations can offer valuable advice and resources, including workplace safety guides you can download.

Key points#

• Farms are high-risk workplaces.
• The most common causes of death are tractors, quad bikes and side-by-side vehicles.
• The most common causes of injury are quad bikes, tractors and horses.
• Living and working in the same place can have benefits but also presents risks to health, wellbeing and safety.
• Children and older farmers are at high risk of farm fatalities and injury.

Where to get help#