Fatalities down but improvements to farm safety still needed

Recent research from AgriFutures Australia has revealed that while deaths from tractor and quad bikes have declined, new measures are still needed to improve farm safety.

The report, Non-intentional Farm Related Incidents in Australia , was funded by AgriFutures Australia, which supports research into enhancing farm health and safety under its National Rural Issues Program.

Agrifutures Australia is also the lead agency for the newly formed Rural Safety and Health Alliance (RSHA). The RSHA facilitates research, development and extension to reduce the impacts of death, injury and illness and maximise the benefits of a productive, healthy and safe rural workforce.

The research shows that from 2017 to 2018, fatal accidents caused by tractors fell from 13 to nine and deaths involving quad bikes fell from 11 to six.

However, AgriFutures Australia Managing Director John Harvey notes that the number of farm-related deaths still remains alarming.

“While some progress has been made in specific areas, the overall numbers are telling us that more still needs to be done,” says Mr Harvey.

RSHA chair Patrick Murphy says that fatal farm injuries are not only devastating for families but also create huge social and economic costs including loss of earnings, insurance payouts and premature funeral costs.

“While the figures are clearly shocking and the number of deaths in the sector needs to be urgently addressed, this research gives us a clear understanding of where the trouble spots are,” says Mr Murphy.

The report found that since 2001, 1,423 people have lost their life on a farm due to non-intentional injury. Nearly 90 per cent of farm-related accidents occurring during this period involved males. Tractors, quads, motorbikes and horses accounted for almost all of these accidents.

“Equally concerning is that nearly 15 per cent of deaths involved children under 15 years and farm vehicles including cars, motorbikes and utilities were the leading cause of these fatal accidents,” says Mr Murphy.

The RSHA is working to connect individuals and organisations to improve safety across Australia’s agricultural, fisheries and forestry industries. You can visit the RSHA website to track progress on this issue.

AgriFutures Australia works with AgHealth Australia to track and monitor death and injury statistics in primary industries. These statistics are reported biannually and are available here.