Beef + Lamb New Zealand welcomes focus on vehicle safety

Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) today welcomed the announcement by WorkSafe that it will focus on reducing the number of injuries and fatalities involving vehicles on farms.

Dave Harrison, General Manager Policy & Advocacy at B+LNZ says: “The evidence is clear. Vehicles and machinery are almost always involved when someone dies as a result of an accident on a farm.

“Sheep and beef farmers all want less accidents, injuries and fatalities on our farms. Accidents have a significant impact on families, businesses and rural communities.

“ We are supportive of any effort to help farmers understand the risks of working in and around farm vehicles.

“Many farmers now accept they can take simple steps to improve safety around vehicles and reduce the chances of an accident occurring such as overturning, crushing or collisions with others.

“Since 2015, more than 4,000 farmers have already attended our B+LNZ Farm Management Safety workshops and vehicle safety is always a key area of interest.”

B+LNZ is also committed to working with WorkSafe to look at developing safer ways of working with vehicles and machinery, says Mr Harrison.

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