WorkSafe is giving farmers a heads up to be mindful of risks on farm this spring, after the death of a Southland man. 

Hugh John Chisholm, 54, of Mataura, near Gore, died on Monday after an accident involving a tractor on a farm near Oamaru, North Otago, where he was trimming hedges.

WorkSafe Manager for Regulatory Practice Brent Austin says vehicles continue to be the primary source of harm in on farm fatalities. 

Five people have died on New Zealand farms in workplace incidents so far this year, and there were 20 deaths in 2020.  

Advertisement: E Hayes & Sons

Austin says fatalities tend to spike during the busier months on farm. Four of last year's deaths were in September. 

He is urging farmers to consider four pieces of crucial safety advice:

• Look at how you are managing fatigue on farm – tired people make mistakes
• If your vehicle has a seatbelt, you should be wearing it – almost half of vehicle-related deaths on farm could be avoided if seatbelts were used
• Install crush protection on your quad - in many incidents, someone is crushed or unable to escape due to the weight of the bike, contributing to fatal or life-changing injuries
• Don’t make assumptions that new staff or those new to the sector know what they are doing around large animals – provide necessary training until you are satisfied that they are competent

"Workplace incidents don’t discriminate between those with experience and those without," Austin said.  

Advertisement: Gilligan Building

"Mistakes can be made by even the most experienced operators. We know the pressure is on farmers, particularly considering labour shortages and the need to employ inexperienced, younger or older people to fill the gap, but now is not the time to cut corners where safety may be compromised.

"Lastly, but vitally important, safety responsibility sits with everyone. Make sure everyone gets involved in sharing their concerns and ideas for making the farm a safer place."

The people killed on farms this year range in age from 18 to 89, with rollovers of vehicles, including quad bikes and ride-on tractors, the main cause. 

Last year, the age range was tragically 7 to 79.