Farming safety in the spotlight

The myth of the healthy farming workplace will be put to the sword during this week's inaugural Safety NZ Week.

Co-ordinated by the Accident Compensation Corporation, the nationwide safety week will cover home, road, sport and the workplace, with the farmyard firmly in the spotlight.

The week will focus on the causes of injury, the demographics of the injured, child safety, and prevention efforts including the FarmSafe initiative.

Launched in 2003 by the ACC and Federated Farmers, FarmSafe runs training courses on topics including handling chemicals, animals and equipment including chainsaws and all-terrain vehicles.

About one-third of all fatal rural injuries involve such vehicles.

About 15,000 people have attended FarmSafe courses and the ACCsays an evaluation by Otago University shows 75 per cent of farmersmake safety improvements after attending.

John Wallaart, ACC programme manager for injury prevention, says attendance has been incredible.

Guidelines for all-terrain vehicles put together by the ACC with the Agriculture Council are also in high demand.

"We budgeted to produce 5000 of them but stopped counting after 100,000," says Wallaart.

And a 10-episode series made by Southland Television and shown on Sky Digital is beaming the safety message into rural homes.

Issues covered include noise induced hearing loss, respiratory protection and child safety.

Wallaart says the convergence of home and work on farms creates additional risks, including children operating farm vehicles.

"It's discouraged very strongly, but the reality is that on most New Zealand farms these activities do occur, and that's the image we're trying to change."