Tractor runover

Make runover prevention a priority

Preventing tractor runover: 

• protects you and your people
• helps to meet your safety obligations 
• is good business practice.

Protecting you and your people supports productivity and strengthens the long‑term financial sustainability of your farm. 

Make sure you are familiar with your tractor’s operating manual before starting the tractor, to better understand how to prevent runover.

Don’t become desensitized to hazards

Through experience and familiarity with the work, people can become desensitised to safety hazards — normalising risks instead of treating them as preventable dangers. This is often summed up as, “I’ve done it this way a million times”.

People trust the advice and work experience of people they know. A strong safety culture helps reduce injuries and deaths when you:

• talk about safety and lead by example
• share practical safety solutions and encourage their use
• look out for each other.

Runover hazards and risk controls

Bypassing safety circuits or starting from the ground 

Hazard

Starting the tractor or using controls from the ground puts the operator directly in the path of the wheels.

Starting the engine by shortening across starter terminals can start the tractor in gear and bypasses safety circuits. This can cause the tractor to suddenly lurch forward or backward over the operator or any bystanders.

Always

• start the tractor only when seated in the operator’s seat with the seat belt is fastened
• ensure the transmission is in neutral or park and the handbrake is fully engaged before starting the tractor
• ensure neutral‑start interlocks are working — never bypass them.

This could happen to you — Worker runover by tractor during repairs

Passengers riding on tractors or implements         

Hazard

Most tractors don’t have a manufacturer approved passenger seat.

Riding on fenders, steps or draw bars/hitch is dangerous because it is easy to fall off — especially on bumpy or uneven ground. 

No one should ever ride on implements like slashers, loader buckets, or forks, or on attachments such as trailers. Safety laws require that passengers are afforded the same level of protection as the operator.

If a passenger falls, they can be crushed by the wheels or caught in moving parts.

Always

• transport workers around the property using a suitable vehicle
• ensure passengers are only carried if you have a manufacturer‑approved passenger seat and seatbelt for each passenger
• ensure implement and attachments are clear of people before operating.

This could happen to you — Worker falls and is run over by fruit trailer

Getting on or off without securing the tractor

Hazard

Leaving the operator’s seat without properly securing the tractor — such as failing to apply the handbrake, leaving it in gear, or with the engine running and raised attachments or implements — creates a serious risk of injury or death. An unsecured tractor can move unexpectedly, roll, and collide with objects or run over people. 

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 but may not be effective over some angles and slopes.

Handbrakes are especially prone to wear and tear and need regular maintenance. A poorly maintained or not fully engaged braking systems can lead to fatal injuries.

Always

• follow a safe-stop procedure
• use safety interlocks
• refer to your tractor manual for model-specific safe-stop procedure.

This could happen to you — Farmer run over after attempting to enter a moving tractor

Safe-stop procedure

Before you leave the tractor seat:

Bystanders in blind spots

Hazard

People can be run over by attachments or implements mounted to the front or back of a tractor, like trailers, slashers, or ploughs.

Tractors have blind spots, especially with loaders or other implements attached. This means the driver often can't see people or objects on the ground nearby. 

If workers are assisting the tractor driver to attach implements, load and unload, or are standing close by, they are at high risk of being hit or run over.

Always

• look carefully in all directions for people or obstacles before moving the tractor and attaching implements
• ensure mirrors and windows are clean, functional and properly adjusted 
• where fitted, ensure reversing cameras, warning beepers and lights are clean and working — ensure that where there is a risk of powered mobile plant colliding with pedestrians, that a warning device is fitted
• keep people away from attachments and implements while the tractor is moving
• separate people on the ground from tractors in operation.

Extra precaution such as adjusting the tractor’s speed needs to be made where there are buildings, crop, vineyard or orchard obstacles.

Consult with your workers and have an agreed safety procedure.

This could happen to you — Worker crushed when assisting to attach hay rake

Poorly maintained equipment

You must inspect the tractor regularly to monitor any risks associated with it.

Hazard

Equipment that is not well-maintained increases the risk of tractor runover. 

Examples include:

• Broken or faulty safety devices, such as neutral start switches or seat sensors, can allow the tractor to start while in gear or without the operator in the seat.
• Worn or poorly adjusted handbrakes can let a tractor roll away while idling, putting the operator or nearby people at risk.
• Mechanical faults, such as a starter problem, can lead to people jump‑starting the tractor from the ground. If the tractor is in gear, it can suddenly move and run over the person starting it.
• Damaged, muddy or slippery steps and platforms increase the risk of slipping while getting on or off the tractor, potentially falling into the path of the wheels.

Always

Before starting a day’s work, ensure your tractor and its implements are properly maintained.  Lower any implements before starting maintenance.

Follow the manufacturer maintenance schedules, to ensure that:

• Roll-Over Protective Structure (ROPS) and seatbelts are fitted, maintained and functional as required by the Victorian Occupational Health and Safety Regulations
• all guards, safe access platforms, interlocks and switches are in good condition and always operating with the tractor
• steps, platforms and handrails are in good condition, clean and non‑slip to prevent slips when the operator is getting on or off the tractor
• transmission and braking mechanisms are regularly serviced and well maintained
• windows are clean, mirrors are correctly adjusted and any reversing cameras are functional.

Use a pre-start inspection checklist before operating the tractor.

Refer to your tractor operator’s manual for maintenance schedules.

Never bypass safety devices or interlocks.

This could happen to you — Reversing camera not working resulting in bystander being run over