Special report - Health and Safety
TECH CAN AVERT
HUMAN FACTORS
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Words by: Elaine Fisher f farmers continue to handle increasing workloads with fewer staff, they are going to have to get a hell of a lot smarter about how they utilise their personal and employee resources, and technology could be part of the solution, says Al McCone, WorkSafe Engagement Lead for Agriculture. “The rate of harm in the dairy industry is not significantly different now than it was four to five years ago. What worries me currently is that as it gets harder to find staff, that figure may actually go up again. “One of the pieces of information we have about agriculture in general is that the less people are employed, the higher the rate of harm.” Al says current and emerging technology can help reduce harm if it takes human frailty out of the equation. “When you ask farmers what things can kill you onfarm, they know exactly what they are and how to avoid them. Most of that avoidance relies on being perfect and following procedures every time but that can be very ineffective in preventing serious harm as no one can be perfect all the time. “One of the things we can do to prevent serious harm is to take human frailty out of the loop which is where tech can come in to put something in the way so people won’t get as damaged when things go wrong.” Crush protection on quad bikes is one “low-tech” example.
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Crush protection on quad bikes is a “low-tech” system which is saving lives.
“Humans make mistakes, quads are easy to roll. If you make a mistake, you might still get damaged, but the protection will stop you getting crushed to death. So far out of all the New Zealand and Australian examples we know of where crush protection has been on a quad that has rolled, no one has been crushed to death. Plenty of people say the crush protection has saved their life.” Seat belts are another “low tech” safety device. “A lot of fatalities occur in farm vehicles and in probably half of those fatalities people were not wearing seat belts.” A big issue, especially at this time of year, is fatigue. “Maybe the kind of tech athletes wear to monitor their heart rate, blood pressure and blood sugar levels could in future be used to warn farmers when they need to take a break, have a meal or get some sleep.” Spring is also the time when new employees, unfamiliar with the farm, are taken on and everyone is trying to get a whole lot of work done in the short hours of daylight. “It’s when you are tired, racing around on the bike or quad to get jobs done in failing light, that you might not see the tape across the track - tape you may have put there but forgotten about.” A low-tech answer such as reflective tape or a string of solar powered flashing Christmas lights could save an accident.
Technology such as apps, says Al, is a good way of moving people up the hierarchy of control and not relying on them to do everything perfectly to protect themselves. Phone apps linking all staff, which enable risks to be recorded when they are first identified, rather than forgotten in the humdrum of everyday life, are valuable. Those which include graphics, photos and maps are useful for staff who struggle with literacy or English as they can access information without having to read long printed notices. “These apps are especially useful for people coming on to the farm such as stock drivers and fert spreaders who won’t be as familiar with the farm as everyone else. They are absolutely no replacement for face-toface or over-the-phone conversations which enable hazards to be outlined and explained. Those are the sorts of conversations which save lives.” Apps can be used to track people working on the farm, but Al says, with limited or non-existent cellphone coverage in many rural locations, cellphones should not be relied upon as the only means of contact. “If someone is working by themselves, there is an obligation for the PCBU (Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking) to make sure there is a mechanism by which they can be contacted if something goes wrong.
Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | September 2021
