“It’s a tool for awareness, education and ultimately, saving lives,” says Kerri-Lynn Peachey from AgHealth Australia.
A farming business has been charged after a worker was killed while working with machinery at Nathalia in June 2023.
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The WorkSafe charge comes as Australia’s first real-time dashboard for tracking on-farm fatalities and injuries has been launched.
Developed by AgHealth Australia as part of the Ag Safety Data Net project, the Rural Media Farm Injury Dashboard will provide early insights into where and how agricultural incidents are occurring.
The aim is to give timely snapshots of incidents occurring on-farm, before official Coronial or workers’ compensation data become available.
In the Nathalia incident, a 38-year-old worker was performing maintenance works on a skid steer loader when he became trapped between its bucket attachment and cabin, causing fatal crush injuries.
The company is facing two charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act for failing to provide or maintain a safe working environment.
WorkSafe alleges the company breached the OHS Act by failing to provide or maintain a safe plant, after it failed to have the skid steer loader inspected and its safety bar interlock system repaired by a qualified person before it was operated.
WorkSafe also alleges the company breached Occupational Health and Safety Regulations by failing to reduce the risk of serious injury or death by using engineering controls, such as a properly functioning safety bar interlock system.
The company will face Shepparton Magistrates’ Court in July for a filing hearing.
The new Rural Media Farm Injury Dashboard.
Kerri-Lynn Peachey, a broadacre farmer in NSW and member of the AgHealth research team, said the Rural Media Farm Injury Dashboard was a critical step forward in improving farm safety.
“By providing real-time insights into the types of incidents occurring on farms, we can better understand the risks and work together to prevent future injuries and fatalities in a timely manner,” Ms Peachey said.
“It’s a tool for awareness, education and ultimately, saving lives.
“Farm injuries aren’t just a cost; they also result in a loss of production, impacting individuals, farm operations and rural communities across Australia.”
The dashboard allows users to customise infographics and heatmaps by date, injury type, age group, industry sector and location — making it a valuable tool for policy makers, industry bodies and community safety campaigns.
The tool tracks incidents from 2020 onwards, offering a broader view of trends over time. While data is predominantly based on media reports and is subject to change, it provides an early warning system that complements Coronial and workers’ compensation reporting.
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