Workplace fatalities on farm - what the heck happened in 2018?

Workplace fatalities have been trending down however there are still way too many injuries and fatalities occurring on farm.

Over the last few years, farm related workplace fatalities have accounted for around 38% of total workplace fatalities in NZ.

Just when it looked like the agricultural sector turned a corner, with fewer fatalities in 2017 than previous years, we collectively tripped up again. December 2018 was one of those horrible months where there were multiple fatalities on farms resulting in total farm workplace fatalities for 2018 being similar to previous years.

The 3-year rolling average is still heading in the right direction, but it’s worth understanding what happened in 2018.We saw the usual culprits, with all but one fatality involving vehicles or machinery, highlighting just how much care needs to be taken when using vehicles and machinery on farm.

There were 2 farm workplace fatalities involving side by sides in 2018.  While side by sides have the potential to be safer than quad bikes, the reality is that if you don’t wear a seatbelt in a side by side and if you use the vehicle beyond their or your capabilities, then you have increased probability of ending up as a statistic.

Eagle eyed observers may notice that the actual number of workplace fatalities can change by one or two from time to time. This sometimes occurs when initial media reports indicate a death has occurred on farm, then once more information is known, it is later classified as either a workplace fatality or a non-workplace fatality. This depends on whether work was being carried out at the time or not.

For example, an on-farm vehicle incident that results in the death of a farm worker turns out to have occurred when they were using a farm vehicle and travelling across the farm for recreational hunting purposes.  This would not be a ‘workplace incident’ but media may initially have reported it as a farming fatality.

This means the official reported number of farm workplace fatalities is the number of farm-related fatalities that can be shown to be work-related fatalities and will not always reflect the total number of fatalities that happened on farms.

We need to accept that farm workplace fatalities are preventable. People don't head to work thinking they've had their last meal, but sadly this happened all too often last year.

Being safe on farm comes down to attitude - and a decision to think, behave and act safely.

Workplace fatalities are sad at any time of the year, be extra vigilant as we’re in the middle of the first quarter of the year – historically the quarter high the highest number of farm fatalities.

The recent unsettled weather patterns have also placed extraordinary demands on the farmers and contractors we work with. Take a moment to check in with them, make sure they’re in good headspace and they are prepared for the tasks ahead.

 Get them to Take A Minute and ask:

• What could go wrong?
• What am I doing about it?
• (and) Is it enough?