Last week marked National Farm Safety Week for 2023, providing Queensland farmers an opportunity to reflect on their farm safety practices and the significant improvements the sector has made along with work still to be done in its ongoing commitment to providing a safe workplace.
This year’s National Farm Safety Week campaign ‘Stay on the Safe Side,’ focussed on tractor and machinery safety, raising awareness of the ongoing concern of injuries and fatalities attributed to this area of farm operations and reinforcing important safety messaging to help farmers create safer working environments.
The annual Farmsafe Australia Safer Farms Report for 2023 was also released, providing a range of useful statistics related to on-farm injury and accidental deaths as well as highlighting the tools and resources available to support farmers on their journey of improved on farm safety.
Great strides have been made over decades to lower the incidence of on-farm injuries, with campaigns such as the annual National Farm Safety Week and industry run education programs and workshops playing a significant role in this regard.
QFF has regularly been involved in a range of farm safety programs, including statewide safety workshops and the Look Up, Mark Up and Live rebate program which supported growers who are members of QFF’s member organisations to install rotamarkers on their overhead powerlines.
Farmsafe Australia has a series of Toolbox Talks and a free Online Induction Tool to help farmers build their understanding of their enterprise’s workforce safety risks and how to report and manage them.
It is, however, disappointing and concerning to see that on-farm accidents have increased in 2022 after a decrease in 2021. In trying to understand why this has occurred, many are reflecting on the impact of the range of pressures that farmers have faced during that period including severe workforce shortages.
The Safer Farms Report 2023 notes that in 2022, 73 percent of on farm fatalities were individuals over the age of 45 and 93 percent of all fatalities were male.
Farmsafe Australia do a great job in providing valuable resources, and the report clearly shows the importance of investing in both the physical and psychological wellbeing of farmers and regional communities.
The National Farm Safety Education Fund which enables this work is set to expire this year. QFF strongly supports extending this funding to ensure this important work can continue.
It is vital that Queensland farmers continue to receive support to make changes within their business operations that will effectively make farms safer workplaces, reduce workplace injuries and fatalities, and improve the overall health and wellbeing of regional communities.