Preventing Farm Injuries

In New Zealand, agriculture is our biggest export earner, and we’re among the best in the world for looking after livestock and crops. However, it’s also one of our most high-risk industries, and we’re not always so good at looking after our people, and preventing injuries.

In the past 5 years, the total figure for farm-related injuries is $383 million dollars. In 2020, over 60 farmers were injured every single day, for a total of 22,796 farm-related ACC injury claims. Not only does this come with a price tag for recovery, $84 million in 2020, but it has a flow-on effect for their work, families, and communities.

Stress is a factor in some injuries. A survey of recently injured farmers had 58% of them linking their accident to stress associated with farm work, with 25% saying it was a major factor. Research shows that lack of sleep, exhaustion, farming stress, isolation, and feeling unable to ‘take a break’ are all risk factors for injury.

Preventing injuries

Farming is a unique job, in a unique industry, with a unique set of challenges – only some of which are predictable. To help farmers, a wellbeing programme has been created for the rural community, and it’s available nationwide. Farmstrong is an initiative to help farmers, growers, and their families, to cope with the ‘ups and downs’ of farming by sharing things they can do to look after themselves, and the people in their business. The aim is to help farmers live well to farm well.

Farmstrong shares farmer-to-farmer tips which are supported and informed by wellbeing science, with the aim to help farmers and farm workers be better able to cope with farming life. There are many pressures in farming and increasing wellbeing builds resilience and allows you to recover quickly from setbacks. For more information, and free resources, on how Farmstrong can support you and your workers, see www.farmstrong.co.nz