Most orchards pass health and safety checks, but chemicals and machinery risks remain - WorkSafe

WorkSafe said hazardous chemicals management was the most significant area of concern for orchards, followed by machinery safety issues and working in and around vehicles. Photo / 123rf

By Monique Steele of RNZ

WorkSafe is mostly content with the health and safety of hundreds of orchards it visited late last year, but warns some farmers are still making risky decisions.

Agriculture remained one of the most dangerous industries in Aotearoa, accounting for around 30% of injuries at work.

The workplace health and safety regulator said it did not issue fines during its compliance campaign when it visited just under 660 horticultural businesses nationwide throughout July to September, but issued a number of improvement notices.

It said hazardous chemicals management was the most significant area of concern, followed by machinery safety issues and working in and around vehicles.

Inspectors said improvements around chemical management were required at just under 40% of the assessments.

Project lead Carl Baker said many failed to have adequate hazardous chemicals inventories or safety data sheets in place that were required.

He said their main concerns were the administrative controls.

“Any business is meant to keep a list of the chemicals they have in their workplace, the quantities,” he said.

“The inventory is designed to help obviously the companies, but also emergency services when they turn on up, so they know what they’re facing.

“We found a high percentage of businesses out there didn’t have that in place.”

Baker said safety data sheets helped give workers an understanding of possible harm from chemicals and precautions that should be in place for their use, like protective personal equipment.

Eighteen per cent of assessments found machinery safety issues, and 15% had issues of working in and around vehicles, usually around the use of helmets.

Baker said inspectors noticed an ongoing trend of unguarded power take-off shafts between the tractor to its implement.

“There’s a guard that goes around that because that spins at such a high revolution, it creates a risk for people if you get in contact with it of getting in entanglement.

“That’s a really straightforward fix. All they have to do is put a guard or cover over the top of it.

“But it’s one of the deadliest hazards that we probably would face on a farm, is that unguarded PTO.”

He said another issue around vehicles was the lack of seatbelts being used on side-by-sides.

“We did identify a bit of a trend out there that the seatbelt was being plugged in behind the back,” he said.

“So the farmers were bypassing that safety feature.

“As we know with side-by-sides, just like a vehicle on the road, a seatbelt is designed to make you obviously safe in an instant.”

Horticulture New Zealand helped connect WorkSafe with growers, the regulator said it previously had limited access to.

Chief executive Kate Scott said any injury was one too many, and it was using data from these visits to better understand the causes of on-orchard injuries and develop training tools and solutions.

“The findings show where guidance and practical tools can make a real difference,” Scott said.

“We’re using data to better understand the causes of injury and develop training and tools that address risks such as sprains, cuts, machinery, weather exposure, and hazardous substances.”

There were 16 work-related deaths in agriculture throughout 2024, though the most common type was associated with injuries from livestock.

WorkSafe was set to report back about its health and safety sector compliance, next for sheep, beef and dairy farms it visited between October and December.

- RNZ