Harvest is a time of high stress and workload for growers, with many different operations being conducted at the same time, generally under time pressure. Growers however need to ensure the safety of their employees and contractors. Business owners who fail to provide a safe work environment, open themselves up to being held personally liable in the event of an accident. The main safety issues which can arise during harvest are due to fatigue, overloading of trucks, fire, plus machinery related injuries.

Fatigue Management

Farmers are obligated to manage the workload of employees and contractors to ensure that they do not become fatigued. Fatigued operators can make poor decisions which put their own and other people’s safety at risk, plus damage machinery which can be expensive and delay harvest. Growers can implement the following to reduce fatigue related issues:

Ensure there is enough labour resources available
Mandate the maximum number of hours able to be worked per week and a minimum period of rest time
Rotate staff between operations where possible to reduce fatigue from repetitive operations
Provide onsite accommodation to reduce the amount of driving to and from work

Truck Management

An increasing number of clients are purchasing trucks, particularly B-Doubles and Road Trains and transporting the majority of their grain, fertiliser, lime and soil amendments. The consequences of an accident involving these larger trucks is significantly greater than in the past, with smaller trucks and less traffic over shorter distances. With the introduction of Chain of Responsibility laws, growers are obligated to do what ever is reasonable to ensure the safety of transport activities. Requests which encourage transport operators to break the law should be avoided. Some specific requirements include:

The loader of the truck is responsible for not overloading the truck

Growers need to provide weights for the produce being loaded
The person restraining a load is responsible for the safe and legal use of restraints, therefore it is best to let the driver restrain loads
Farmers cannot request drivers speed or skip rest stops to meet deadlines
If obvious mechanical issues are noticed on the truck, farmers should not load the truck
If the driver is noticeably fatigued or complains of fatigue, the truck should not be loaded and the driver provided time to rest

Fire

Fire is a constant risk during harvest. With some planning, growers can reduce the risk and consequences of fire by implementing the following actions:

Ensure there is a fire truck present when harvesting
All employees and contractors should know how to operate the fire truck and have the contact details of local fire authorities
Blow down equipment regularly to prevent the build up of dust and crop residue
Provide areas for machinery to park which has low levels of dry plant material

Machinery Related Injuries

With numerous large machines in operation during harvest, there is greater potential for mistakes to be made leading to personal injuries. To minimise the chance of injuries occurring, growers should always lead by example:

Ensure all employees are properly inducted on all equipment
Equipment should be well maintained, and all safety shields installed and functional
Prevent machinery from being started while maintenance is occurring
Prohibit risky activities such as jumping on and off moving vehicles

By providing a safe workplace, growers will not only reduce accidents from occurring, but also reduce the cost of damaged equipment and harvest downtime. Growers need to be role models for employees and contractors, by setting the standard that every person needs to maintain. Turning a blind eye to negligent or dangerous behaviour should never be tolerated. When accidents do occur and the producer has done everything in their power to prevent the accident occurring, any responsibility and potential liability will be significantly reduced.

Harvest Safety