The Farmlander - February 2021

Page 29

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Working safely with chemicals February and March see the highest number of incidents of people suffering workplace injuries due to single contact with a chemical or substance on New Zealand farms. “On average, ACC deals with 79 claims for single contact chemical-related injuries incurred in farm workplaces during February and 87 in March,” Al McCone, Agriculture Lead for WorkSafe New Zealand says. Farmers use a wide range of chemicals and fuels in their work. Many of these are potentially harmful and need to be handled, used and stored with care. Employers have a legal duty to train employees, or make sure someone who is trained supervises them, so they can work safely. “While many people say, ‘this is just common sense’, hundreds of workers are suffering harm from single chemical-related incidents on farms every year,” Al says. “Many others will be exposed to harmful substances that may not be immediately obvious but can have serious effects on health over time.

“Farmers should be up to speed with the chemicals and fuels they have on-farm and the risks they pose. The person in charge must ensure everyone using these substances is trained to do so, including certified handler certificates if required for highly hazardous substances, such as explosives, fumigants, vertebrate toxic agents (VTAs) or acutely toxic (6.1A and 6.1B) substances. If you employ a contractor to do work on your farm, you must make sure they have certification, if required.” Training in handling chemicals and fuels may be provided by experienced staff in the workplace or through a training provider, such as GROWSAFE. Employers are required to provide the right personal protective equipment (PPE) to anyone working with chemicals and fuel and if required, must also monitor exposure to hazardous substances. To find out if a substance has a prescribed exposure standard, see the controls database on the Environmental Protection Authority website, www.epa.govt.nz.

“Safety gear needed will depend on the product you are using and the job you are doing,” Al says. “You may need different gear for mixing, handling, applying, cleaning application equipment or cleaning up spills. “It’s essential to read the product label and safety data sheet (SDS) before using fuels and handling, mixing or applying farm chemicals and follow the instructions. The label will tell you the hazards of the product and the precautions that you need to take. The SDS will include information about what safety gear you need. “When planning to use chemicals, check in advance what the manufacturer’s requirements are, to make sure you and anyone else working with the substances has the knowledge and PPE they need to use them safely.” Farm fires are also becoming more common. It is a good idea to make your inventory or Hazsubs inventory pin available to your local rural fire brigade. This would save time in an emergency situation. Using the online Hazardous Substances Calculator will help you create an inventory of fuels and chemicals kept on-farm and work out what key requirements you need to meet. See www. hazardoussubstances.govt.nz/ calculator. You can also download the ‘Working Safely With Chemicals and Fuels on Farms’ from worksafe.govt.nz.

| Farmers should be up to speed with the chemicals and fuels they have on-farm and the risks they pose.

WWW.FARMLANDS.CO.NZ

Article supplied by WorkSafe

Farmlands Co-operative Society Limited | © February 2021. All rights reserved.

THE FARMLANDER | 29


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Century Farms – The making of Mackenzie

2min
page 50

Protect your water supply this summer

5min
pages 58-60

From sand to steel

3min
pages 56-57

Winter crop wins

2min
page 55

The cockroach who came in from the cold

3min
pages 51-52

Get on top of rodent control this autumn

2min
page 49

Traceability closes the loop for meat customers

3min
pages 45-46

The expert touch

2min
page 42

Improve silage quality and the environment

2min
pages 43-44

Mitigating risk with correct application

2min
page 41

Best practice for flystrike prevention and lice control

2min
pages 39-40

Responding to freshwater reforms

4min
pages 37-38

A summer browse

6min
pages 35-36

Out of the woolshed

4min
pages 30-32

Working safely with chemicals

2min
page 29

Developing a personal style of governance

2min
pages 27-28

Special Feature – Living the legend

9min
pages 6-12

Celebrating co-operative success

5min
pages 21-22

Fuelling the fire

7min
pages 18-20

New shareholder portal delivers better service

2min
pages 15-16

Farmlands welcomes new Director

1min
page 17

The Open Farms conversation continues

2min
page 26

Farmlands commits to acting against climate change

2min
page 23

5 minutes with Damien O'Connor

5min
pages 4-5
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