12 Mar 2025Farm injuries are unfortunately quite common – farming can be a dangerous occupation.
Work on farms accounts for one in every five workplace deaths in NSW, with quad bikes, heavy vehicles, animal handling, biosecurity hazards, machinery, tree accidents and electrical work among the most common hazards.
Farm injuries report demonstrates need for farm work safety guidelines
In the last few months, a 24-year-old farm worker was badly injured when a clamp housing a pump filter burst upwards under high water pressure, striking him in the face.
A 74-year-old retired farmer was crushed to death when two hay bales each weighing 600kg fell on top of him while being unloaded from a truck.
An 82-year-old farm worker sustained fatal injuries near Moree when the quad bike he was riding tipped over on its side, pinning him underneath.
A 43-year-old worker had part of his hand amputated after it was entangled in an auger that did not have the proper guard.
A 41-year-old worker was severely injured when a 2.5 tonne tandem drum roller rolled on a slope.
A 20-year-old casual worker collecting grain samples suffered serious burns to her face and body when a petrol-powered generator exploded while being refuelled with a jerry can.
A 20-year-old stable hand suffered a brain injury after being kicked in the head by a horse.
A 69-year-old cattle transport driver was crushed to death by a bull exiting a truck.
Each of these tragic incidents may have been averted if proper farm work safety guidelines had been followed. (Please see Agriculture, SafeWork NSW.)
Farm injuries rise dramatically over last decade
There are 81,000 agricultural workers in NSW. According to the latest statistics from Safework NSW, there were 358 serious farm accidents in 2022, double the number ten years earlier.
Between 2022 and 2024 there were 34 agriculture-related fatalities. (Please see Farm safety shouldn’t cost an arm or a leg, SafeWork NSW, 15 July 2024.)
With the lives of farm workers at stake, it is vital that employers and farm owners comply with workplace health and safety laws.
Tough workplace penalties for farm injuries and deaths
Apart from the trauma and pain that comes with a farm accident, where farming families and workers are close, the penalties that can be imposed on employers for not complying with safety laws recently became much stronger, even involving long jail terms. (Please see NSW Work Health and Safety Amendment (Industrial Manslaughter) Act 2024.)
Employers found liable for the death of a worker can now face up to 25 years in jail for industrial manslaughter, or a $20 million fine for a body corporate, under the new NSW workplace negligence legislation which came into force in July 2024. (Please see Negligent bosses in NSW to face 20 years in jail for industrial manslaughter.)
Failure to conduct regular farming safety audits could also lead to court-imposed fines and victim compensation.
A poultry company was recently fined $300,000 In the District Court after a worker was killed in a forklift accident. (Please see Safework v Multiquip Poultry Pty Ltd [2025] NSWDC 15.)
In another case a chicken farmer was convicted of breaching workplace safety duty requirements after a worker lost several fingers when his hand was caught in a conveyor belt. The farmer was fined $30,000. (Please see Safework NSW v Burke [2025] NSWDC 29.)
Resources for improving work health and safety on farms
It is important farm workers receive proper compensation for injuries which can impact their lives for years and require ongoing care. It’s best to consult a legal expert to see what compensation you are entitled to, including loss of income because of the accident.
The NSW government’s SafeWork has a NSW Farm Safety Advisory Program, which provides a number of downloadable resources to assist in managing work health and safety on farms. (Please see Downloadable resources, SafeWork NSW.)
For more information please see The high cost of preventable farm accidents.
