Classing farming as low risk a 'dangerous message,' says business leaders' forum

A coalition of big business leaders says the government "sends a dangerous message" by classing farming as a low risk activity as details emerge in the long-delayed Health and Safety Reform Bill ahead of its return to Parliament, most probably this evening.

"This sends completely the wrong message to the farming industry" and was "very disappointing," says Francois Barton, executive director of the Business Leaders' Health and Safety Forum, representing 178 of New Zealand's largest corporations, government, health and education entities.

"It sends a signal that everything is okay in the farming sector - and that the industry can continue on with business as usual. That's just not true.

"Farming is a dangerous industry to work in and the industry needs to own that problem and change its practices."

Some 50 industries will be labelled high risk and be required to operate to a higher level of health and safety compliance than "low risk" businesses, which will cover a vast swathe of New Zealand's small- and medium-sized enterprises, including most office jobs.

The bill was hotly opposed by the farming lobby, whose agitation in heartland National Party territory saw the bill's report back from Parliament's labour relations select committee delayed by four months. Its return for second reading was delayed again this week.

Among industries deemed high-risk are forestry and logging, road freight transport, hunting and trapping, fishing, electricity transmission, horse and dog racing and any industry "deemed to have potential for catastrophic risk in the event of accident," including oil and gas extraction, underground coal-mining and petroleum refining.

In practice, the low risk categorisation means farmers are unlikely to have worker health and safety representatives, although they will still have to comply with other requirements, including engaging and involving their workers in health and safety.

"However, telling farmers they work in a low risk industry can only undermine the agricultural sector's motivation to change in response to the new law," Mr Barton says.

"We risk facing a situation where other high risk industries, like forestry and construction, are taking ownership and making improvements and farming gets left behind."

Talking points circulated by Labour Minister Michael Woodhouse to National Party spokespeople, ahead of the bill's expected return to the House this evening, styles the new regime as placing "parts of farming" into high risk categories but provides no detail.

The talking points "acknowledge that dairy and sheep farming have a large number of accidents, but they are also sectors with a huge number of workers, and when measured against the other industries, constituted a lower risk profile."

"Too many people are injured on farms," the talking points say. "A large number of serious accidents and fatalities are from quad bike accidents," an issue being addressed by an "industry-led review of quad bike safety."

Statistics New Zealand industrial accident statistics show farming and forestry have consistently constituted the largest sources of workplace injuries since 2002.

(BusinessDesk)