On Farm Vehicle Safety

In 2020, 58 people died from on-farm accidents in Australia, in 2021 that number decreased to 46 and a rise again in 2022 to 55. 60% of all reported injuries included quad bikes, tractors or horses. BUT the leading cause of harm was tractors. 

Common Vehicle Accidents On The Farm

Some of the most common accidents that occur in farm settings include: 

• Vehicle rolling over and crushing a person, particularly if someone has been thrown from the cab; 

• Driver being run over while out of the vehicle;

• Others being run over while out of the vehicle;

• People getting entangled in attachments connected to a vehicle, especially in PTO-driven machinery. 

Vehicle Safety Tips 

While most of these are common sense and well-known throughout the industry, it always pays for a friendly reminder.

• Ensure continued maintenance of all vehicles on the farm, particularly those with braking systems;

• Make sure you are choosing the most appropriate vehicle for the job at hand, as well as considering the weather conditions and terrain;

• You should ensure that anyone who is driving the vehicles on the farm is legally able to do so;

• Operators should be able to clearly see other people around the vehicle, especially when reversing; 

• Avoid having children in machinery sheds;

• Fit an operator protection device to quad bikes, this will reduce the risk of being crushed in a rollover;

• Where possible, only have the engine running while someone is sitting in the driver's seat; 

• Do not get on or off moving vehicles. Stop the vehicle completely before entering or exiting the vehicle;

• Seatbelts should be worn at all times;

• Helmets should be worn while travelling on quad bikes or other side-by-side vehicles;

• Do not carry passengers unless the vehicle is designed to do so; 

• Children under sixteen years of age should not drive adult quad bikes

Collectively, we need to work towards decreasing the number of preventable, on-farm deaths and injuries. Take this as a reminder!