Farm machinery is the leading cause of fatalities and serious injuries on farms.
As silage season approaches, WorkSafe is issuing a reminder about the importance of ensuring farm machinery is correctly maintained and the importance of training when acquiring new or second-hand powered mobile plant.
WorkSafe says in-line silage wrappers have many hazards and risks.
These include, but are not limited, to:
- Rotating and moving components that can strike and entangle employees.
- Hydraulic presses that can cause crush injuries.
- Application of plastic film, which can crush or cause suffocation.
Contributing factors involved in unsafe operations of farm machinery leading to serious injury or death include: lack of maintenance; bypassing safety mechanisms; lack of training; lack of pre-start checks and documentation; and working alone.
Ways to control risks
Plant with moving parts, such as in-line silage wrappers, must have appropriate risk controls to eliminate or reduce the risk to employees. These include:
- Guarding: Ensure physical guards are installed and maintained to prevent employees from accessing the moving parts.
- Interlocks: Where guards are required to be opened to provide access for setting up, troubleshooting or maintenance, interlocks or safety switches should be installed to ensure the plant is shut down prior to employees accessing the hazardous area.
- Pre-start inspections: A safe system of work must be provided to ensure the plant is in a condition to be used safely. This may include implementing a pre-start inspection based on the operator’s manual.
- Maintenance: Plant must be maintained to ensure safety systems including interlocks and safety switches are correctly operating. It is recommended that a record of maintenance is maintained.
- Instructions: Employees must be provided appropriate instructions about how to safely operate the plant.
Employers, employees and suppliers should review their current practices, assess risks and implement safety measures to prevent accidents using silage wrappers.
For further information, go to: https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/farm-machinery