Originally published by the Australian Institute of Health & Safety
WorkSafe Victoria recently called on cattle farming businesses to prioritise human safety elements in their operations following a number of recent incidents and fatalities in the agriculture sector.
Cattle handling is one of the most common causes of workplace death on Victorian farms, claiming six lives since 2018. In the same period, more than 240 people were injured seriously enough while working with cattle to receive workers compensation.
Providing a safe working environment was the best way to maintain a productive and sustainable farming business, said WorkSafe Victoria executive director of health and safety, Sam Jenkin.
“We understand safety on farms is an evolving process and we want to support farming businesses to ensure their cattle infrastructure is meeting at least a basic level of safety, while planning for further improvements over time,” he said.
“When you are making larger scale investments such as livestock yard upgrades, it is important to consider human safety elements, which often have the added benefit of increasing efficiency.”
Five workplace deaths have been recorded in agriculture this year, Jenkin said.
“These people were capable, long-time farmers and most were doing a job they had done many times before, highlighting that experience alone is not enough to prevent a tragic incident.”
In addition to the human toll, failing to adequately protect workers and others from unsafe yards or the risks when handling cattle has cost businesses almost $420,000 in fines and court costs since the start of 2023.
Last year the regulator issued a safety alert about the risks of handling cattle in yards following an incident in which a worker was fatally injured while loading cattle onto a truck.
Two employees were moving cattle from a forcing yard and loading them onto a truck, and one employee was standing behind a partially open slam-shut gate.
A cow turned back through the partially open gate and the gate struck the employee, and the employee sustained life threatening injuries and later died in hospital.
WorkSafe Victoria also issued guidance late last year to help the agriculture industry improve standards around on cattle handling safety.
Developed alongside key beef industry stakeholders, the Beef Cattle Handling Safety Information encourages farmers to make achievable changes to keep everyone on their farm safe.
It is part of a multi-year push to provide practical support and resources to help farmers and others assess their cattle handling practices and yard facilities and identify areas for improvement.
