SafeWork NSW has continued to support safer farming practices by conducting inspections to agricultural workplaces around regional NSW.
Agriculture is among the most hazardous industries in Australia, recording a significantly higher rate of fatalities and serious injuries compared to other sectors.
Farm work, including the operation of heavy machinery like tractors, quad bikes, and side by side vehicles, presents a unique set of safety risks that have contributed to an alarming increase of on-farm deaths and serious injuries over the past year.
In 2024, SafeWork NSW responded to 12 workplace fatalities in the agriculture sector. To continue to protect workers on farms, SafeWork NSW has conducted 25 proactive compliance inspections across regional NSW since becoming a standalone regulator on 1 July 2025.
The inspections were focused on SafeWork NSW’s 2025–2026 annual regulatory priorities with a primary focus on mobile plant, fixed machinery, and vehicles.
Throughout the visits, 76 items of plant were inspected. These included tractors, quad bikes, side by side vehicles, forklifts and augers.
SafeWork NSW inspectors issued 30 improvement notices to 11 of the 25 businesses visited.
Inadequate or missing machine guarding, ineffective risk management plans, lack of regular plant maintenance and inspections and an inadequate or lack of systems in place for managing psychosocial hazards were the key non-compliance issues identified.
The blitz also stems from a roundtable convened by the NSW Minister for Work Health and Safety Sophie Cotsis, NSW Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty and Member for Orange Phil Donato earlier this year.
The roundtable focused on preventing fatalities and serious injuries in the agriculture sector by highlighting the need for transparency around farmers’ daily risks, the barriers to changing safety behaviour, and effective prevention strategies for mitigating real-world challenges.
SafeWork NSW is also encouraging farmers to engage with the NSW Small Business Rebate where eligible employers that utilize quad bikes, SSV’s or tractors could receive up to $1000 back for select drones or quad bike roll bars and helmets.
Farmers can check their eligibility and apply on the NSW Government website.
SafeWork NSW is also hosting events focused on how innovation and technology can improve farm safety and productivity. Register for an event or express your interest.
SafeWork Commissioner Janet Schorer said:
“Farm vehicles, including quad bikes, side-by-side vehicles, tractors, utility vehicles, and motorbikes are valuable to the farming industry due to their efficiency and versatility.
“However, when used improperly, these vehicles carry significant risks and remain a leading cause of fatalities and serious injuries on farms.
“In recent months, SafeWork NSW has recorded an alarming number of serious incidents in the agricultural space – many of which were preventable.
“SafeWork NSW’s proactive visits to farms play a pivotal role in reducing these numbers by preventing harm, strengthening compliance, and sharing practical safety tools.”
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