Federated Farmers: Initiative draws attention to farm safety

The ACC and WorkSafe NZ initiative was launched during February in woolsheds and community halls throughout the country

There's been plenty of media attention on the Safer Farms programme.

The ACC and WorkSafe NZ initiative was launched during February in woolsheds and community halls throughout the country, to a generally positive response from farmers.

Its purpose is to provide better information and tools to improve the health and safety outcomes for farmers.

For a while, farmers and farmers' organisations have been telling WorkSafe NZ, and the Department of Labour before it, that sending inspectors onto farms with a checklist and issuing enforcement notices when one of the boxes can't be ticked, is not the best way to help people protect themselves from harm.

Farmers want more information on how to keep themselves and staff safe, with tools to help them comply with the health and safety legislation. Safer Farms is the response to that need. The website (www.saferfarms.org.nz) is a helpful resource that hosts health and safety advice from the regulator, WorkSafe, and other sources, so is a single point of reference for farmers on the latest in safe practice.

It helps farmers think differently about risk -- it's often hard to identify risk in completing jobs and tasks that are done daily for years, though we know the majority of serious accidents happen during these routine jobs.

Operating vehicles and handling animals still provide more than 50 per cent of serious accidents.

As well as education materials, there are useful tools available through the programme, both in print and online.

The website includes a plan builder tool, which allows you to go through and complete tasks to develop a systematic plan for your farm. The first few steps are daunting, but it is modulated so you can slowly chip away at it when time allows.

There is understandable caution about regulation in general, as everyone does their best to keep people on farms safe while trying to preserve the culture of self-reliance, ingenuity and outdoor lifestyle that comes with farming in New Zealand.

Farms are unlike other workplaces. Safer Farms acknowledges this and there's promise it could be a vehicle for better engagement and communication with WorkSafe NZ.