Farming, forestry and fishing jobs have killed over 50 people and seriously injured thousands in Australia in the past year; making agriculture the second deadliest industry in the country, a new research has shown.
Leading insurance comparison website lifeinsurancefinder.com.au , who conducted the research, says employees working in the industry are more likely to die from being hit by an animal, drowning and heat exposure than any other industry on the list.
However, the biggest most common cause of death across the list of industries included in the report is vehicle crashes, with an average of one in three (33 percent) fatalities on the roads.
Hence it comes as no surprise that trucking, postal and warehousing jobs top the list of Australia’s most dangerous jobs.
According to the report, 65 transport and storage workers were killed while on the job in the past year, which was almost one-third of all workplace fatalities.
Finder.com.au Money Expert Michelle Hutchison says the list showed some jobs are more dangerous than expected, and workers should plan for the worst no matter their profession.
“Many Australian workers have to drive vehicles or lift things as part of their job, and they may not realise how dangerous their work can be,” she says.
“If you work in any of these industries on the list, you are even more likely to be killed or suffer a serious injury while on the job so you need to take extreme caution while at work and have a worst-case scenario plan in place.”
Other industries that made the list of most dangerous jobs in Australia include the construction, mining and retail sectors as well as professional, scientific and technical services such as engineering, analysts, lawyers, accountants and web development.
In related news, organisers of the FarmSafe Australia conference held last week has urged for proper education and culture change on farms to improve the overall health and safety of employees in Australia’s primary industries.
The conference, supported by the Primary Industries Health & Safety Partnership (PIHSP) drew more than 120 participants to Launceston to discuss health and safety related issues within the agricultural industry.
PIHSP committee member Simon Winter says the level of discussion and feedback across the two days from family farmers, corporate farmers and government representatives shows people are genuinely willing to do something about the appalling number of death and injuries on farm.
“What’s also clear is that the word ‘safety’ does not resonate with older farmers. That’s boring to them,” he says.
“They want to hear how life can become ‘easier’ on farm, and it’s now up to us to better communicate that message to them.”
The Partnership is currently funding a project to explore the barriers to the adoption of safer practices on-farm.
“The open forum enabled producers and industry representatives to outline what they deemed to be the major barriers to adopting better workplace health and safety,” Winter says.