Law upgrades rules on safety

Photo / File

Law upgrades rules on safetyFarmers must address their risk management systems ahead of worker legislation taking effect in April

Health and safety plans are fast becoming the norm on dairy farms but the obligation isn't just on the milk industry. All agricultural sectors need to adopt best practice in the workplace to keep themselves and their staff safe.

There is a culture change afoot that has had a long evolutionary process, chipping away at different workplaces and types of businesses, with farming on the menu for the past few years.

New Zealand has long been fine-tuning its health and safety practices in the workplace. The Health and Safety Reform Bill that comes into play in April 2015 covers the Government's aim to reduce our workplace injury and death toll by 25 per cent by 2020.

It makes sense that we're being lined up because farming is a risky business with unpredictable elements. We're not the worst but we're not the best, and so the industry stakeholders have been working with each other to put in place methods to help change the way we approach things.

I've had personal experience of workplace incidents, after having the Westpac helicopter, which our charitable trust sponsors $25,000 yearly, visit the farm after a worker had a bike accident a few years ago.

And I myself spent 13 days in Waikato Hospital earlier this year after a back injury on the farm. Even the best workplaces have issues but the speakers will talk about how with good processes you can minimise your farm and staff risks - and your legal responsibilities.

Google "health and safety on-farm" and a raft of information and advice becomes available to you, such as Dairy NZ's Health and Safety Compliance Tool Kit, FarmSafe programmes and WorkSafe's Quad Bike Safety.

Federated Farmers has an occupational health and safety manual, located on our website with our employment agreements, drug and alcohol policy for staff, and employment information. In the Waikato, Federated Farmers is organising meetings for farmers after a successful meeting was held in Cambridge this year.

Farmers need a little help to get up to speed on the ever-changing regulatory space and this is one area that is moving at pace. Federated Farmers Waikato welcomes all farmers to come along and hear about the importance of health and safety on-farm as well as understand how they can do better.

There are obligations under the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 that everyone in the rural sector needs to be aware of, including any liabilities and responsibilities for managing hazards to reduce potential accidents on-farm. Most farmers already mitigate these risks without the paperwork but sometimes that piece of paper can save your backside and is worth its weight in gold. From entering into the space through the Federation, I know I have had my eyes opened to the risks my business faces if I don't step up and front-foot my responsibilities. Now it's about spreading that message.

I know a lot of farmers were hoping this would go away, especially some of the impractical parts, like expecting farmers to drive quad bikes without passengers or not allowing children in the workplace -- which, when it is also their home makes it a bit tricky to be a parent. However, it is here to stay and these irritations are likely to be fine-tuned once the powers that be realise the impracticality of some of the things they are asking.

Right now, it's more important to show we are on board. To do that, farmers must implement a health and safety plan to eliminate, isolate or minimise hazards. If you are unsure about what you are required to do or how to do it, then come along to one of our meetings. Serious-harm accidents and deaths are too high in the agricultural sector and with recent media coverage and increased enforcement presence on farms, it's just as important as ever to ensure you have a plan and that it's implemented. In a recent Federated Farmers survey, feedback indicated that farmers wanted more help and interaction in interpreting legislation like this, so we look forward to catching up with you and sharing a beer while talking about risk management and any other issues that may concern you.

• Chris Lewis is Federated Farmers Waikato provincial president.