On-farm safety is everyone’s responsibility
Agriculture remains one of Australia’s most dangerous industries.
According to Worksafe Australia’s Key Work Health and Safety Statistics Australia 2025 report, the physical nature of the work, outdoor and sometimes remote conditions, working with tools, machinery and vehicles, and mental toll are some of the risks workers across our sector face.
While the hazards and risks on individual farms can differ depending on factors like farm size, team size, location, the crops grown, and the equipment required, what remains the same is the need to maintain a strong safety culture.
It takes a committed effort from farm owners and supervisors, as well as workers, contractors, volunteers, and other farm visitors, to follow safety procedures, mitigate risks, and make working in horticulture as safe as it can be.
Strong attendance from Lockyer Valley farm owners, operators and Human Resources representatives at the recent Getting Farm Safety Right training event in Gatton shows that growers understand their responsibility to lead from the front on safety.
Hosted by Growcom’s Queensland Agriculture Workforce Network (QAWN) Officer for Southern Queensland Liz Ford, with support from the Farm Business Resilience Program, the working lunch provided an opportunity to discuss farm safety and get advice on fostering safe work cultures.
Sarah Cook, an inspector from Workplace Health and Safety Queensland’s (WHSQ) agriculture unit, was joined by Julie Smith of WHSQ’s Injury Prevention and Management Program (IPaM) as the event’s guest speakers.
In discussions with growers, Sarah and Julie spoke about common risks like overhead powerlines and working in hot conditions. They also walked growers through steps to reduce risk based on considerations like likelihood, degree of potential harm, and availability of suitable ways to eliminate or minimise the risk.
QAWN officer Liz Ford said that adequate and ongoing safety training is vital in looking after agricultural workforces.
“Sarah made an important point that safety training doesn’t just happen at induction,” Liz said.
“Safety isn’t a ‘set and forget’ thing. Drills and reminders are important, and updating safety procedures as farms grow and develop is important too.”
For growers looking for support on creating safer work environments, downloading the Serious about farm safety guide from WHSQ and registering to receive free, tailored safety advice from an IPaM advisor are good places to start.
Getting serious about farm safety.
The Queensland Agriculture Workforce Network (QAWN) is funded by the Queensland Government.
