This year’s theme for National Farm Safety Week is ‘In Safe Hands’, which emphasises the importance of keeping farmers and their families safe
National Farm Safety Week has kicked off (July 14 – 20) serving as an important reminder for following safe practices on-farm.
This year’s ‘In Safe Hands’ campaign emphasises the important of keeping farmers and their families safe.
Farmsafe Australia says there was a significant decrease in on-farm fatalities in 2023 (32 down from 55) however, the 2024 is increasing at an alarming rate.
In the first six months of 2024, Farmsafe Australia says there have already been 30 fatalities and 74 non-fatal on-farm injuries nationally.
To help prevent further fatalities and injuries, Farmsafe Australia aims to share practical safety tips from farmers throughout the week, to increase the safety of everyday tasks and foster a more safety focused farming culture.
Each day of the week, Farmsafe Australia will highlight specific topics, with farmers sharing their own practices that help keep them safer in their day-to-day tasks and how their on-farm safety culture has made a difference in their farm business.
The Victorian government has already announced a $100,000 grant to the National Centre for Farmer Health, to support the delivery of farm safety education in schools, teaching young people about the risks they are exposed to when visiting, living and working on farms.
Although agriculture only makes up 2 per cent of Victoria’s workforce, the state government says it account for 14 per cent of workplace fatalities.
From January 2025 a new teaching resource dubbed ‘Shifting Gears’ will provide educators with materials to facilitate meaningful discussions about farm safety to classrooms.
“Through the National Centre for Farmer Health and Shifting Gears, we are empowering the next generation of farmers and agricultural professionals to prioritise safety in all aspects of their work,” Victorian acting agriculture minister Steve Dimopoulos says.
The first four months of the year has also seen 14 crashes of livestock, according to the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator, who are urging all parties to practice safer transport practices.
“Farm safety is a shared responsibility, and preventing crashes requires attention from all stakeholders in the agricultural and livestock sector,” NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto says.
“During National Farm Safety Week, we aim to raise awareness and promote best practices for safe livestock transport.”