Want to stay in control of your vehicle on farm? Or no?

Seatbelts are designed to keep the operator in the seat if things go wrong. And because we’re human, if we’re tired, it’s easier for things to go wrong. Somehow working huge hours on farm became a badge of honour – yes, our industry has been built on the toil and sheer determination of our farming forebears, however we now understand the effects of fatigue and distraction on our ability to do things like make good decisions and operate machinery safely.

Hit a hole or a stump and its too easy to be bounced off the seat or have your feet or hands knocked off the brakes or steering wheel.

There are good reasons that legislation requires seatbelts and why manufacturers design and install seatbelts on tractors, utes and side-by-sides. There are good reasons why proactive and aware farmers insist seatbelts are worn and other vehicle safety recommendations are adhered to on their farms.

What is unclear, is why people fail to wear the seatbelt when it is simply designed to keep them alive. If someone would ‘rather bail, than be strapped in’, chances are they’ve either chosen the wrong vehicle or simply need to find another way to do that job. Yes, it can be a pain jumping out to open gates or whatever, but surely this is minor compared to the pain of injury or worse.

Change is happening on farm and there are some brave individuals who are speaking up and sharing their own experiences. It would be easier to hunker down and not say anything, but we applaud the likes of farmers Karen Williams and Dan Hansen and others who want to help other farmers by offering suggestions based on their own experiences with seatbelts on farm.

If there was ever a time to start wearing seatbelts on farm, it would be now when it seems there is unprecedented pressure on farmers from all angles. There’s so much going on and so much to think about; wearing a seatbelt in the tractor, ute or side-by-side is one simple way to improve the likelihood of survival on the day when we get distracted or fatigues sets in and something goes wrong. And for those of us who have spent all day on a tractor in a bumpy paddock, you'll quickly work out that wearing the seatbelt can actually reduce fatigue.

Farmers can choose to believe WorkSafe’s numbers or coroners’ recommendations, or they can ignore them. We’ve seen the numbers, we’ve learned from survivors, and that’s why we support people to buckle up on farm. Together we can change the culture on farm on click at a time.

#saferfarms #lookingafteryourmates #plantaseedforsafety