Accidents claim 17 lives in bad year on the farm

Harmful accidents involving all-terrain vehicles dropped last year, though the number of fatalities remained the same. Photo / APN

Fatal accidents in the agriculture sector nearly doubled in 2010 in what Federated Farmers is calling a bad year for farm safety.

Federated Farmers health and safety spokesman Donald Aubrey said eight fewer people were seriously injured in farm-related all-terrain vehicle accidents, although the number of fatalities was unchanged.

"Yet this positive sign with [ATV] safety is outweighed by overall farm related serious harm notifications and fatalities being well up on 2009," Aubrey said. "To say it's bitterly disappointing is an understatement."

There were 312 serious incidents in the agricultural sector last year, an increase of 15 per cent on 2009.

"There was also a major spike in fatalities with 17 deaths recorded in 2010 compared to nine in 2009," he said.

December and January had been extraordinarily bad months for safety.

"This summer spike may be caused by long daylight hours seeing farmers working while tired," he said. "It's an aspect worthy of further research. It's also something the Agricultural Health and Safety Council wish to discuss with the chief coroner."

AGRICULTURE SAFETY

All terrain vehicle (ATV) serious harm
* 2009: 59
* 2010: 51

Total serious harm
* 2009: 265
* 2010: 312

ATV fatalities
* 2009: 5
* 2010: 5

Total fatalities
* 2009: 9
* 2010: 17