WORKSAFE are encouraging to take care of themselves heading into peak months for workplace fatalities in agriculture.
WorkSafe Inspector Dallas Braam advised farmers and farm workers to listen to their bodies and not shrug off the signs of fatigue.
“Fatigue affects your decision making and when your decision making is affected not only are you affecting yourself, potentially, but the people you’re working with, who are usually family and friends,” he said.
“Taking a break to get hydrated, have some food, or call a friend could prevent an injury out there and you’ll be going home to see your loved ones at the end of the day – that’s the difference.”
WorkSafe data shows March and November are peak months for workplace fatalities in agriculture, corresponding with the busy sowing and harvest seasons.
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Families and communities are reeling from the loss of two lives in workplace incidents on farms already this year, taking the number of work-related deaths in agriculture to 34 since January 2020.
Farmers and farm workers who suffer serious injuries also face a long road to get back on the job, with more than 25 per cent of those injured still unable to return to farming one year on from a serious incident.
WorkSafe Executive Director Narelle Beer said every conversation about farm safety helped remove the stigma around health and safety in agriculture.
“We’re working for a future where safety is at the centre of farming operations and where deaths and injuries are seen to be preventable, not inevitable,” Dr Beer said.
“Every time a farmer or farm worker talks about farm safety helps to make a real difference in preventing families and communities from losing loved ones.”
More information on the It’s never you, until it is campaign and farm safety can be found at worksafe.vic.gov.au/saferfarms.
