UPFRONT discuss

A critical priority for Western Australia’s vegetable industry

Vegetable farm safety remains one of the most important — and most urgent — issues facing growers in Western Australia. While agriculture employs just 2.3 per cent of the WA workforce, it accounts for around 23 per cent of all workplace injuries. Agriculture also has the highest injury and fatality rate of any industry in Australia, a stark reminder that farming remains one of the most dangerous occupations in the country.

Words Peter Spackman, CEO, vegetablesWA

FOR vegetable growers, safety is not an abstract compliance issue. It is about protecting lives, families, workers, and the long term sustainability of farm businesses. Every serious injury or fatality has profound consequences — not only for those directly involved, but for entire farming communities.

A landmark safety conversation

In February, SafeFarms hosted the first-ever Work Health and Safety Conference for Agriculture in Western Australia, bringing together growers, industry leaders, safety professionals, and regulators in a landmark forum dedicated entirely to agricultural workplace health and safety.

The conference was an important step forward. It provided a rare opportunity for those who grow, lead, and sustain our agricultural communities to openly discuss risks, share experiences, and focus on practical solutions. Most importantly, it reinforced a simple but powerful message: workplace safety must be central to how we farm — not an afterthought.

While the conference showcased positive initiatives and a growing commitment to safety, it also reinforced a confronting reality.

Agriculture: WA’s most dangerous industry

What was made abundantly clear is that agriculture remains the most dangerous industry to work in Western Australia. The sector’s fatality rate is more than seven times the state average and more than double that of the next highest-risk industry.

Older farmers and vehicle-related incidents account for a disproportionate share of fatalities. In Western Australia, 35 per cent of work-related agricultural deaths involve people aged 65 years and over, reflecting an ageing workforce and the reality that many farmers continue working well beyond traditional retirement age.

Agriculture is also among the industries with the highest serious injury claim frequency rates, measured per million hours worked. This indicates a high prevalence of non fatal but life altering injuries — injuries that can end careers, reduce farm productivity, and place enormous strain on families and businesses.

Why farming carries such high risk

Safe Work Australia and state regulators point to several structural risk factors that help explain why agriculture continues to record such high injury and fatality rates:

• Regular use of heavy machinery, vehicles, and mobile plant, including tractors, quad bikes, and side-by-side vehicles.

• Working alone or in remote locations, which can delay emergency response and increase the severity of incidents.

• An ageing workforce, with a disproportionate number of fatalities involving workers aged 55 and over.

• Blurred boundaries between home and workplace, meaning workers, family members, and bystanders are all exposed to risk.

• Vehicle incidents, which account for around 40–42 per cent of all fatal injuries in agriculture, making them the leading cause of death in the sector.

On many farms, work and family life occur in the same space. This reality increases exposure to risk and highlights why farm safety must extend beyond employees to include family members and visitors.

Leading causes of fatal incidents

The most common causes of fatal incidents in Western Australian agriculture include:

• Being struck by tractors and mobile farm machinery

• Quad bikes and other farm vehicles

• Animal-related incidents

• Falls from height, including sheds, ladders, and silos.

• Entanglement in machinery, such as augers and other moving equipment

According to WorkSafe WA, vehicle and machinery incidents are the single leading cause of agricultural deaths in the state.

Turning awareness into action

The challenge for the industry is not simply understanding the risks — we know them well — but ensuring that safety improvements are practical, affordable, and embedded into everyday farm operations.

For vegetable growers already managing labour shortages, rising input costs, and market pressure, safety measures must be workable and supported, not imposed in a way that adds unnecessary burden. This is why education, training, and industry led safety initiatives are so important.

vegetablesWA strongly supports efforts that:

• Promote practical safety solutions tailored to vegetable farming.

• Improve access to safety training and resources, particularly for small and family run farms.

• Address vehicle and machinery risks, including rollover protection and safer operating practices.

• Recognise the needs of an ageing workforce and support safer, longer working lives.

• Encourage a strong safety culture, where speaking up about risks is normal and supported.

A shared responsibility

Improving farm safety is a shared responsibility — between growers, workers, industry bodies, regulators, and government. The cost of inaction is simply too high.

Every injury prevented and every life saved strengthens our industry. Safety is not just about compliance; it is about ensuring that farmers, workers, and families return home safely at the end of each day.

vegetablesWA will continue to advocate for policies, programs, and partnerships that support safer farms and healthier agricultural communities.

Because no crop, no contract, and no deadline is worth a life.