Fatal incidents highlight the risk of attempting to enter a moving tractor

Background

Two farmers have recently died in similar circumstances.

In each case, the farmer had been operating a tractor with a hay baler, and dismounted the tractor to attend to a task. The tractor and hay baler rolled forward in one incident, and backward in the other incident. When the operators attempted to re-enter, they were pulled under the wheel, resulting in fatal injuries.

In one incident, the handbrake was faulty. In the other incident, the handbrake was not fully engaged. Agriculture makes up just two percent of Victoria's workforce but regularly accounts for about 10% of all workplace deaths.

About 70% of these deaths have involved farm machinery over the last 5 years.

Safety issues

Unsafe use of plant

Attempting to get on or off a tractor while it is moving increases the risk of slipping and falling under the moving tractor.

Handbrakes are tested to hold the vehicle on a specific angle and may not be effective over a certain angle/slope.

Poorly maintained or not fully engaged braking systems can lead to fatal injuries.

Recommended ways to control risks

Maintenance

Inspect your tractor in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions to help ensure it is in a safe condition to operate.

Service and maintain your tractor in good operating condition – perform regular preventative maintenance as per the manufacturer’s instructions. Ensure gears and all braking systems fully engage and work properly as per the manufacturer’s instructions.

If an issue is found that may compromise the safe use of the tractor, the tractor should be removed from service until repairs can be made.

Never attempt to get on or off a tractor while it is moving

• Have a safe stop procedure. Before dismounting your tractor:
• Park on flat ground where possible.
• Lower any attachments such as Front End Loader attachments to the ground.
• Fully engage the parking brake or hand brake.
• Place in park or disengage the transmission (both range and gear selection - where possible).
• Shut down the engine, particularly on a slope (where possible) before exiting.

Fit handbrake alarms so that a horn or warning will sound when the handbrake is not applied and the operator leaves the seat.

Read the operator’s manual to determine if there is a maximum slope the tractor can be operated or parked on and ensure that the tractor is not used on slopes that exceed the maximum slope rating.

Carry wheel chocks if there is a chance you will need to park on a slope and apply when needed.

Plan your work

Identify the hazards involved in operating tractors and attachments on your property and put in place controls to manage the associated risks. Hazards include environmental factors such as steep terrain, poor weather conditions, low lighting at certain times of day, working alone and fatigue.

Consider the risk of fatigue before operating machinery or vehicles. If you are working alone, have a process in place to check in e.g. plan to use a mobile phone or ultra-high frequency radio to call someone.

Legal Duties

Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004, employers have duties which they must fulfil so far as is reasonably practicable. Their duties include the following:

• Providing and maintaining a working environment that is safe and without risks to health.
• Providing and maintaining plant and systems of work that are safe and without risks to health.
• Providing employees and independent contractors with information, instruction, training or supervision as is necessary for them to perform work safely and without risks to health.
• Ensuring people who are not employees are not exposed to risks to their health and safety arising from the employer's conduct of their undertaking.
• Consulting with employees and contractors on topics that directly affect their health and safety at the workplace.

Self-employed persons must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that persons are not exposed to risks to their health or safety arising from the conduct of their undertaking.

Employers and self-employed persons must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that a workplace under their management or control, and the means of entering and leaving it, are safe and without risks to health.

Under the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017, employers and self-employed people must also, so far as is reasonably practicable:

• identify all hazards associated with the use of plant at the workplace
• control risks associated with plant according to the hierarchy of control in Part 3.5 of this legislation
• ensure the plant is inspected to the extent necessary to ensure that risks associated with its use are monitored
• ensure plant that is not in use is left in a state that does not create a risk for any person.