Fewer farm deaths recorded in 2021
However, 46 deaths is still too many, said Farmsafe AustraliaA new report, released by farm safety awareness organisation, Farmsafe Australia, showed that there were 12 fewer deaths on farms in 2021 compared to 2020 and 2019.
The 2022 Safer Farms Report was released today in conjunction with Farm Safety Week, which is currently running until July 24.
SEE ALSO: National Farm Safety Week in full swing
While the number presents a positive trend in farm safety, 46 deaths is still a tragedy and the Australian agriculture industry needs to recognise each step towards zero fatalities, Farmsafe Australia stressed.
The organisation added 2021 marks the first year that on-farm fatalities were below 50.
Data reporting for the first half of 2022 shows there have been 20 fatalities on Australian farms so far. While a devastating number, it still presents a step in the right direction in regards to farm safety, Farmsafe Australia said.
"The perception of the importance of farm safety is becoming greater every year thanks to Australian farmers stepping up and taking responsibility for themselves, their families and their workers,” said Farmsafe Australia Chairperson, Felicity Richards.
"We need to keep working to reduce incidents. We need to keep advocating for safer practices, leading a social movement towards behaviour change, leveraging our agricultural networks, informing our audience on changes to the WHS environment and educating as many farmers and farm workers as we can."
The report found that Queensland had the highest rate of farm incidents at 19 fatalities and 86 injuries. This was followed by New South Wales at 10 fatalities and 23 injuries, with Victoria following behind with six fatalities and 13 injuries.
Among the 46 farm workplace deaths in 2021, 87 per cent were male and 58.7 per cent were over 45 years of age.
"The data is showing us that it is not necessarily just the young, inexperienced farmers who are involved in these incidents,” Richards said.
“Experienced farmers are just as susceptible to death and injury, especially when dealing with intangible factors such as fatigue, complacency or mental health."
This year, Farm Safety Week features the theme: A Recipe For Averting Disaster. Farmsafe Australia is encouraging farmers to take an extra moment to consider the intangible factors that can impact safety on-farm, such as child safety, mental health, fatigue and more.
“It’s so important that we continue to encourage open conversation and education around safety on farms, particularly around those often hard to measure factors such as complacency or fatigue which contribute heavily to workplace incidents,” Richards said.
“Experienced farmers often think that if they are yet to experience a farm related injury that they never will. It’s time to change this narrative and encourage farmers of all experience levels to prioritise their safety.”
The Safer Farms Report is a yearly report published by Farmsafe Australia providing an overview of the state of safety on Australian farms. The report tracks both injury and fatality statistics nationally and by state, as well as recording safety trends among Australian farmers.
Statistics within the report are acquired from AgHealth Australia through the Agrifutures Australia Non-intentional Farm-Related Incidents in Australia Report and the Australian Farm Deaths and Injuries Media Monitors Snapshot.
The report is available to view on Farmsafe Australia’s website.
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