Farmers experienced more than 18,600 injuries on farms last year or 50 injuries a day, according to ACC.
The highest numbers of ACC injury claims were in Waikato, Canterbury and Manawatu-Wanganui where there were a total of nearly 8,000 injuries or one person injured nearly every hour.
The largest number of ACC injury claims was lodged in Waikato where there were 3,788 new ACC claims in 2009, worth more than $14 million. This was approximately 500 more injuries that the previous year. There were 2,662 injuries in Canterbury and 1,514 new claims in Manawatu-Wanganui.
The most common causes of injuries are poor handling of quad bikes, animals and tractors.
Three farmers or agricultural workers died and nearly 300 were injured in quad bike accidents on farms last year, according to ACC claims figures.
“We urge all farmers to take one simple step and wear a quad bike helmet in the same way that they would wear other personal protective gear. If they don’t and they have an accident they could suffer a head injury and be off work for many months which impacts their ability to make a living and run their farm,” said ACC General Manager Keith McLea.
Tractor accidents resulted in more than 300 injuries last year. Common accidents included being run over, rolling the tractor and being injured by an uncovered power take-off (PTO) shaft.
Approximately one person in 10, who handles cattle, is injured every year. Last year, 1,679 farmers and agricultural workers were injured by cattle.
The most important tips for cattle control are:
- Keep cattle calm
- Keep your eyes on the cattle
- Use your voice to let cattle know where you are.
To help farmers minimise the risk of injuries to themselves and their employees, ACC has produced three new safety booklets with useful tips on handling cattle, tractor safety and controlling quad bikes.
To pick up a copy of the booklets or to find out more about injury prevention visit the ACC team at Fieldays on 16 to 18June2010 – site number BLED31.
Top tips for:
Handling animals
- Keep cattle calm
- Use your voice to let cattle know where you are
- Speak softly and carry a big stick
- Approach animals from the front or side – where they can see you.
Driving quad bikes
- Wear a helmet
- Look where you’re going, not where the stock are going.
- Learn to ride a quad bike properly.
- Let people know where you’re going and when you think you’ll be back.
Driving tractors
- Start the tractor engine only when you’re sitting in the seat; never start it from the ground.
- Wear snug fit clothing to avoid it getting caught in moving parts or accidentally activating control levers.
- Wear ear-muffs if you don’t have a cab.
- And if you really need to do the job and your tractor is not up to it, get your neighbour to help, or call in a contractor. Don’t risk it.