Authorities in NSW are studying emerging safety issues in farming. 

The NSW Government’s Centre for Work Health and Safety Director, Skye Buatava, says the centre has embarked on a research project aimed at keeping farm workers safe. 

“We know the suicide rate among farmers is higher than the general population in NSW and we need to do all we can to protect these workers,” Ms Buatava says.

“Not just in NSW but across the world farmers are increasingly facing a range of disruptions to how they farm.

“This is critical research to ensure we are doing all we can to understand the emerging risks to farmers as technologies and trends change.”

The centre has partnered with the Institute for Sustainable Futures (ISF) at the University of Technology Sydney to better understand these new risks facing landholders as they diversify their land use.

ISF Research Director, Associate Professor Brent Jacobs said global drivers like climate change, biosecurity threats and new technology are forcing NSW farmers to change the way they use land, their farm enterprise mix and their production practices.

“This project will help us understand how these changes are affecting the work health and safety of farmers to help keep our rural communities safe,” Professor Jacobs says.

The subsequent report will explore the safety issues around new farming practices with over 100 NSW farming participants being consulted. The project will then develop a suite of solutions that will keep workers safer.