Workplace incident: worker and tractor attachment

Ways to manage health and safety

Effective risk management starts with a commitment to health and safety from those who manage the business. If an incident occurs, you will need to show the regulator that you’ve used an effective risk management process.

This responsibility is covered by your primary duty of care in the Work Health and Safety Act 2011.

Use the hierarchy of controls to help decide how to eliminate and reduce risks in your place of work. The hierarchy of controls ranks types of control methods from the highest level of protection and reliability to the lowest.

It is a step-by-step approach to eliminating or reducing risks. You must work through the hierarchy of controls when managing risks, with the aim of eliminating the hazard, which is the most effective control.

Further information about the hierarchy of controls and managing risks is available.

Possible control measures to prevent similar incidents

A Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBU) has a duty to ensure workers and others are not exposed to health and safety risks, including the risks associated with tractor attachments such as vegetable harvesters at the workplace.

Effective control measures for rural plant such as tractor attachments include:

• Ensure the attachment is properly designed for the task and suited to the tractor it is attached to.
• Pre-start inspections:
  • PCBUs should ensure that visual and pre-start inspections of rural plant are carried out before the plant is put to use.
  • Conduct thorough inspections to identify hazards and assess any associated risks with the plant before accidents occur. Inspections can accomplish the following:
    • identify potential problems of operation not referred to in the manufacturer’s instructions
    • identify deficiencies in the rural plant or the equipment associated with the use of the plant
    • identify worker actions required for the safe use of rural plant - this will identify where further training is needed
    • identify effects of changes in processes (for example, including use, such as crops, soil, or operator) or materials (including wear, repairs, modifications or tractor/implement combination) associated with rural plant (changes may gradually occur that produce a different outcome than originally assessed)
    • identify inadequacies in existing, implemented control measures.
• Servicing and maintenance
  • Rural plant should be serviced and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s requirements and specified periods, or as advised by the competent person. A record of all relevant servicing and/or maintenance should be kept. Any control measures (for example, guards) removed during maintenance should be replaced before start-up of plant.
  • Through effective servicing and maintenance, a PCBU can prevent rural plant from deteriorating to a point where it becomes unsafe.
• Cleaning
  • Rural plant should be isolated^# before cleaning starts, and where appropriate, physically made immobile. Do not adjust, clear blockages from, or work on implements while they are in motion. If it is necessary to clean the rural plant while it is being used, it must remain safe. Where safeguards have been removed during cleaning, then:
    • the rural plant should be in a non-operational state, or
    • means of preventing accidental operation, or unexpected movement of plant or parts, should be implemented.
  • PCBUs should refer to manufacturer recommendations about cleaning. Using the wrong cleaning materials could lead to hazardous chemical reactions.
  • Following cleaning, all guarding must be replaced before plant is used.

• Following manufacturer’s operating instructions
  • Ensuring operators read, understand and follow the manufacturer's operating instructions and are trained in the rural plant’s safe operating procedures, including any specialised training required for the specific farm.
  • Work procedures should highlight key steps or specific task requirements that must be followed to ensure the safe operation of rural plant. For example, isolation procedures should involve isolating potentially hazardous energy, so the plant does not move or start up accidentally.
• Providing easy to understand information, training and instruction to workers, including how to undertake work tasks. Ensure experienced and competent workers are involved in any training. Keep records of training completed.
• Ensuring all workers undergo induction at the beginning of their employment.
• Consulting with workers on rural plant issues that may affect their health or safety. Consultation can take the form of an informal discussion or during the inspection of the workplace and rural plant.
• Ensuring workers wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) for the task being performed, including but not limited to gloves, protective footwear, hearing protection, safety glasses or sunglasses, hats, long-sleeved collared shirt, long pants and sunscreen. Ensure all workers wear PPE if supplied and they are instructed in the proper use.

Common safety considerations when operating tractors and attachments include (but not limited to):

• Ensure workers are kept well clear of implements through isolation (separation of the process by a physical barrier between the process and any person). For example, the guards covering rotating parts of a harvesting machine.
• When a powered implement is attached, ensure all guards are in place before operating to aid in preventing a worker from contacting moving parts.
• Do not use or attach implements to the power take-off (PTO) unless the PTO shaft is guarded.
• When an attachment becomes blocked, the tractor should be stopped, the drive to the attachment disconnected and the moving parts of the implement stopped before the obstruction is cleared.
• Only attach implements to the drawbar, three-point linkage or other specified hitch points specifically designed for that purpose.
• Never hitch to points forward of, or higher than, the drawbar.

The control measures you put in place should be regularly reviewed to make sure they are effective. If the control measure is not working effectively, it must be revised to ensure it is effective in controlling the risk.

^# Note: Isolation, in the context of energy sources (e.g. shut down of machinery or equipment), is different to the hierarchy of controls’ isolation control (e.g. physical barriers such as fences between a plant and a person).