A nationwide farm safety campaign has uncovered widespread shortcomings in the management of hazardous substances on New Zealand sheep, beef and dairy farms, prompting WorkSafe to urge farmers to take simple steps that could prevent serious injuries and long-term health issues.
WorkSafe inspectors carried out 680 farm assessments between October and December 2025, with the results now released to provide the wider agricultural sector with practical guidance on improving safety standards.
The assessments found hazardous substances posed the most significant risk, with 39 per cent of farms requiring improvements in this area. Nearly all improvement notices issued for hazardous substances – 94 per cent – related to missing chemical inventories or safety data sheets.
WorkSafe project lead Carl Baker said the initiative was intended to support farmers rather than penalise them.
“We went in to have honest conversations with farmers and figure out where we can help them lift their game. The response from the sector has been overwhelmingly positive,” Baker said.
Machinery and vehicle safety also emerged as areas of concern. Sixteen per cent of farms required improvements to power take-off (PTO) shaft guarding, a figure that increased to 25 per cent in the South Island. Vehicle-related safety issues involving tractors, quad bikes and side-by-side vehicles were identified in 14 per cent of assessments.
The findings also highlighted that most farms assessed were small operations, with 81 per cent employing fewer than five staff members.
Baker said many of the issues identified could be addressed with straightforward and inexpensive measures.
“Keeping full and up-to-date records of hazardous substances on farms can prevent serious and often long-term harm,” he said.
“Safety data sheets and inventories are vital. They tell you how to manage chemicals and help emergency services respond. Without them, we don’t know the risks.”
He added that routine maintenance of farm vehicles, regular checks of tyres and brakes, ensuring workers wear helmets and seatbelts, and properly guarding PTO shafts were simple actions that could save lives.
WorkSafe has developed a range of resources to help farmers improve compliance, including new online learning modules covering hazardous substance inventories, risk assessments and emergency planning.
Baker thanked farmers who took part in the assessments, as well as industry organisations Safer Farms, Federated Farmers and DairyNZ for supporting the project.
“We know farmers take the safety of everyone on their properties seriously. We’re here to support that – and we’re all working toward the same goal, for everyone who works on a farm to get home safely at the end of the day,” he said.
Image credit: Samuel Field
Well, Mahi Haumaru Aotearoa (Worksafe) has to justify its useless existence somehow. Another waste of space church government ‘busy body’ department interfering in productivity. The farmers of the 60’s and 70’s would have set their working dogs on them if they dared to walk onto their properties telling them how to suck eggs..
Health & Safety autocrazy [sic intended] will become untenable in a couple of months.