This document discusses workplace health and safety procedures for farms. It identifies many common hazards on farms like tractors, animals, chemicals, weather conditions and noise. It outlines the responsibilities of employers to maintain a safe work environment and of employees to work safely. Key risks are assessed and the preferred order of control is explained as eliminating, substituting, using engineering or administrative controls, and lastly personal protective equipment. Specific hazards from manual handling, animals, hazardous substances, noise, sun exposure and firearms are also covered.

1. RTE3713A Carry Out Workplace OHS Procedures
AHC30110 Certificate III in Agriculture

2. RTE3713A
Carry Out Workplace
OHS Procedures

3. Why is farm safety
important?
• Saves lives
• Reduces injuries
• Peace of mind
• Cost of replacement labour/wages
machinery repairs or replacement
• Lost time/production
• Fines or penalties.

4. Contributing factors
• Tractors and other machinery – large
and small
• Farm vehicles - ATVs
• Farm animals – large and small
• Chemical use
• Topography of farms
• Weather, conditions and hours of work
• Family home/workplace
• Firearms
• Sharp tools

5. Contributing factors
• Working in isolation
• Age: children and older farmers
• Wide variety of tasks/conditions
• Working under pressure
• Reliance on seasonal labour
• Lack of training

6. OHS Legislation for
employers
• Primary producers must provide and
maintain, as far as is practicable, a safe
and healthy working environment

7. Responsibilities of employers
Employers should take all practicable steps to see that
work is done safely. This includes:
• Maintaining work areas, machinery and equipment in a
safe condition
• Organising ways of working safely
• Providing information, instruction, training and
supervision to employees to enable them to work safely
• Making sure that employees are aware of potential
hazards

8. Employers responsibilities
• Providing protective clothing and
equipment
• Consulting with employees on health
and safety matters
• Making sure equipment and materials
are used, stored, transported and
disposed of safely
Cont

9. OHS legislation for
employees
• Employees must take reasonable care
of the health and safety of others, and
must co-operate with employers in
their efforts to comply with OHS
requirements

10. Responsibilities of employees
Employees, once properly trained, should take care
to look after their own safety and not put other
workers at risk. This includes:
• Following health and safety instructions
• Correctly using and looking after protective
equipment and clothing
• Telling employer about hazards and injury
• Co-operating with employer on health and safety
matters

11. Unsafe behavior
Everyone has the right to feel safe at
work.
Unsafe behaviour includes:
• Ignoring instructions
• Mucking about
• Taking undue risks
• Bullying
• Violence
• Sexual harassment
• Racial abuse - even in jest

12. Hazards and risks
Hazard Risk
Working under power
lines
Electrocution
Swimming in dams Drowning
Handling chemicals Chemical poisoning
Operating tractor Rollover, runover
Riding ATV Head injuries, broken
bones, death

13. Risk assessment
• See it What is the hazard?
• Assess it What is the potential risk?
• Fix it Use hierarchy of control to minimise the risk
• Evaluate Has the risk been minimised?
• Record Record your actions

14. Assessing risks
The degree of risk is a combination of the
• Potential severity of injury and/or damage
and the
• Frequency of exposure to the hazard

15. Risk assessment
Consequence of
injury
Frequency of Exposure to Hazard
Daily Weekly Monthly Rarely
Kill or disable HIGH HIGH HIGH HIGH
Several days off work HIGH HIGH MEDIUM MEDIUM
First Aid HIGH MEDIUM LOW LOW

16. The preferred order of control
1. Eliminate
Remove hazard (eg change job, machinery)
2. Substitute
Use a safer alternative (eg safer chemical to do the job)
3. Engineering
Design out the problem (eg put a guard on the machine)
4. Administration
Provide instructions, training and or signs
5. Use personal protective equipment
Use the proper safety gear for the job (eg hearing protection)

17. Safety signs for the farm

18. Plant and machinery
• Risks of rollovers, crushing, entanglement
• Pre start checks performed
• Regular maintenance required
• Records of all maintenance kept

19. What are hazardous
substances?
Hazardous substances are any substances used on
farms that could possibly cause health problems,
for example:
• Farm chemicals such as insecticides, herbicides
and fungicides
• Detergents eg acids and alkalines
• Glues, solvents, paints
• Veterinary chemicals, for example drenches,
antibiotics
• Petrol, diesel

20. Hazardous substances
Hazardous substances become hazards with:
• Incorrect transport
• Storage
• Use
• Disposal

21. Hazardous substances
Can enter the body in three ways
Through the skin
Through the lungs
Through the mouth

22. Manual handling
Manual handling is any activity that involves
applying human force to some object.
It could be moving, lifting, shoveling, loading
materials, pulling, pushing, up-ending materials,
hand tool use, reaching high or bending low for
objects and repetition.

23. Manual handling risks
• Repetitive or sustained postures, movements or
forces eg milking or driving tractors
• Long duration eg cups on for 2 hours in a rotary
• High force eg restraining an animal
• Environmental factors, eg vibration, heat, cold
• If job has previously resulted in injury

24. Animal handling
Animal handling is any activity that involves
working with animals
• Moving stock
• Milking
• Applying veterinary chemicals
• Pregnancy testing
• AI
• Treating sick animals

25. Animal handling injuries
• Crushing
• Sprains and strains
• Goring
• Bruising and fractures from kicks
• Head injuries as a result from falling from
horses or being kicked
• Zoonotic diseases

26. Animal handling
• Be aware of animal behavior
• Don’t hustle or rush stock- allow
enough time sufficient for the task
• Keep children away from yards
• Concentrate on the job at hand
• Try not to work alone

27. Zoonotic diseases
Diseases transferred from animals to humans
• Leptosporosis
• Anthrax
• Brucellosis
• Tuberculosis
• Q Fever
• Hydatids

28. Industrial deafness
Hearing loss is:
• Cumulative
• Permanent
• Irreversible

29. Industrial deafness
Common sources of damaging noise:
• Tractors without cabins
• Chainsaws
• Firearms
• Farm machinery
• Powered tools and other workshop activity

30. Industrial deafness

31. Sunburn
Skin cancer is a serious risk to farm workers
• Change the job – indoors or into shade if
possible between 10am – 2pm
• Wear clothing to cover bare skin
• Wear hat and sunglasses
• Use > SPF 15+ sunscreen

32. Firearms
• Accidental injury
• Hearing loss
• Suicide

33. Remember
No one should die at
work.