Top tips for a safe and accident-free farm

Farms can be dangerous working environments, especially when safety is not properly managed. Unfortunately, every year many preventable accidents result in serious or fatal injuries. It is crucial for farmers to prioritise safety on their farms, and here are some top tips to help you along the way.

1. Proactively manage farm safety

Safety should never be left to chance. It’s essential to actively manage health and safety on the farm by planning all work activities carefully. This starts with a thorough risk assessment, which involves identifying potential hazards, assessing the associated risks, and implementing appropriate control measures. Creating safe systems of work is key to preventing accidents, whether you’re operating tractors and machinery, handling livestock, or working at heights. These safety procedures must be followed at all times. Regular maintenance of farm machinery, equipment, and facilities should be scheduled. For example, before spreading slurry, ensure the PTO shaft on the slurry spreader is safely covered.

2. Prioritise vehicle and machinery safety

While tractors and machinery can save time and boost productivity, they are also major contributors to farm accidents. These accidents often result from inexperienced operators, poor mechanical conditions, excessive speed, lack of concentration, and environmental factors like steep terrain.
Many machinery accidents are caused by human error, such as forgetting safety steps, taking shortcuts, or failing to maintain equipment properly. To prevent these accidents, it’s vital to ensure that all tractors, vehicles, and machinery are well-maintained, adequately guarded, and operated safely by competent individuals. Maintaining your agricultural vehicles in safe working condition is critical. Mechanical issues are a leading cause of accidents involving farm vehicles. Key components to check regularly include:

• Brakes;
• Tyres;
• Windows, mirrors and wipers;
• Steering and hydraulics; and
• Lights and indicators.

3. Ensure livestock safety

To stay safe around livestock, it’s important that handlers are experienced, competent, and physically capable of working with the animals. Having well-designed cattle-handling facilities can make a huge difference in safety and efficiency. Essential features include securely fenced fields, holding pens, cattle crushes, sculling gates, and calving facilities.

4. Work safely at heights

Falls from heights are the leading cause of serious and fatal injuries during the maintenance and repair of farm buildings. To protect yourself and your workers, ensure that all work at height is:

• Properly planned, organised, and supervised;
• Carried out with consideration for weather conditions; and 
• Supported by appropriate equipment that has been carefully inspected.

Whenever possible, prioritise collective protection measures like guard rails over personal protection measures such as safety harnesses. Additionally, be aware of the risks associated with fragile surfaces, like Perspex or asbestos sheeting, and take steps to mitigate these risks. For more extensive work at height, consider using scaffolding or a mobile elevated work platform (MEWP) instead of a ladder. Complex tasks are best left to professional contractors who specialise in this type of work.

5. Protect children

To keep children safe on the farm, they should be kept away from working vehicles and machinery, dangerous livestock, and hazardous areas such as slurry pits, chemical stores, and bale stacks. Adequate supervision is crucial at all times. While farms can be wonderful places for children to explore and learn, they are not playgrounds. Establish a designated, supervised play area where children can enjoy themselves safely, away from the dangers of farm work.
Farm safety is an ongoing process that requires vigilance, planning, and adherence to safety protocols. By prioritising safety in all aspects of farm life – whether it’s managing safety around vehicles, machinery, livestock, work at helight, or protecting vulnerable family members – you can help prevent accidents and create a safer environment for everyone involved. 

Always remember: safety first on the farm!