Farmer crushed by tractor (19 December 2019)
This section references the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017, which has since been remade as the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025. Any references to clauses of the 2017 Regulation should now be read as references to the corresponding sections in the 2025 Regulation where applicable.
Date of incident: 19 December 2019
A farmer died after being crushed by a tractor when trying to jump-start it at a property in Coolabah
Incident scene
The investigation
- SafeWork NSW inspectors responded to the incident.
- SafeWork NSW commenced an investigation to determine the cause and circumstances of the incident.
Safety information
Businesses are reminded of their duty to identify hazards and manage risks to health and safety in accordance with the provisions of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017.
Consider ‘reasonably practicable’ control measures to manage the risks associated with working on tractors. Make sure:
- the tractor is routinely inspected and maintained according to the manufacturer’s recommendations or, if none, the recommendations of a competent person
- all work on the tractor is done by trained and suitably experienced workers, according to the manufacturer’s recommendations
- interlocking devices that prohibit jump-starting are in proper working condition, and not bypassed or removed
- you don’t jump-start the tractor unless the manufacturer has given you specific procedures.