When a farm employee nearly rolled his automobile whereas shifting cattle on Felicity Richards’ farm a number of months in the past, she knew simply how a lot worse it may have been.
As the pinnacle of Farm Safe Australia the meat farmer is all too conscious of the risks farm employees face.
“Yep, that was a close one,” Ms Richards instructed AAP.
The younger employee escaped unhurt however the scary expertise left all on the farm rattled.
“The choice that he reflected on was ‘I should have just got out and walked’, but he just made the wrong call.”
New knowledge from Farm Safe Australia reveals 55 farmers died on the nation’s farms final 12 months because of an accident or different incident.
Some 64 per cent of these deaths have been linked to farm autos or cell farm equipment.
The deaths are highlighted within the group’s Safer Farms report, launched on Sunday to mark National Farm Safety Week.
The figures sign a return to extra accidents and fatalities after 46 deaths have been recorded in 2021.
It additionally provides agriculture the unenviable title of probably the most harmful Australian business to work in.
Trying to show that round, Farm Safety Australia has launched a brand new marketing campaign ‘keep on the protected aspect.’
With tractor accidents nonetheless the main reason behind demise among the many nation’s farmers the marketing campaign focuses on tractor security.
“We don’t want to preach to farmers… but we just want them to stop and remember that they have the power to make safe decisions,” she mentioned.
Ms Richards mentioned the report recognised that there had been security enhancements on farms, which have saved lives.
In the early 1980’s, Australia was averaging 24 tractor rollover deaths a 12 months and by 2004 that quantity was down to 6.
The introduction in 1981 of Australian security requirements to guard the motive force when tractors roll has been credited for the discount in deaths.
Ms Richards remains to be “deeply distressed” that farm deaths are being recorded, and that almost all of fatalities are nonetheless males over 45.
“Complacency can be very dangerous in farming because we know there can be a huge amount of experience at play, but we can still make poor decisions,” she mentioned.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
