Vic: Farmers urged to take extra safety precautions

AAP General News (Australia)
04-18-2004
Vic: Farmers urged to take extra safety precautions

MELBOURNE, April 18 AAP - Farmers are being urged to take extra safety precautions
to guard against potentially fatal accidents.

Victoria WorkSafe and the state government today launched a hard-hitting farm safety
campaign in a bid to put a stop to an alarming increase in the number of deaths on Victorian
farms.

WorkCover Minister Rob Hulls said in the first four months of 2004, six of the 12 deaths
in Victorian workplaces occurred on farms.

One death last week on a hobby farm is still being investigated by WorkSafe and is
yet to be included in the total.

"This death toll is unacceptable," Mr Hulls said today.

"Behind these tragic statistics are family members, friends and communities carrying
the grief of a loved one, lost trying to make a go of life on the land."

He said the key elements of the safety campaign included a series of radio, TV and
press advertisements focussing on the impact of farm fatalities.

During the campaign WorkSafe inspectors will visit more than 500 farms to help farmers
identify potential risks.

A $60,000 grants program will provide free consultancy services and machine guards
to help minimise the risk of accidents involving tractors.

"The message the Bracks government wants to get out is that many farmers have spent
their life on the land, but they shouldn't put their life on the line," he said.

WorkSafe's executive director John Merritt said most of this year's farm fatalities
involved farmers aged over 55 who were working alone.

And nearly all involved a tractor, he said.

"The reason for this campaign is that there is an incredibly upsetting similarity amongst
these farm deaths," Mr Merritt said.

"I think the overwhelming number of these deaths are predictable and avoidable.

"People have died doing something they've done for years."

He said the campaign would particularly target the use of tractors, to remind farmers
that "tractors can kill".

"We are desperate to say to our farming community that this is a tragedy," Mr Merritt said.

He said the advertising campaign starts tonight.

AAP bw/nl/cmc/jlw

KEYWORD: FARMERS

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