WorkSafe inspectors are set to visit 1,000 farms by year-end, concentrating on quad bike safety and other hazards to stop agriculture from becoming New Zealand’s deadliest sector.
Over the next three months, visits are being scheduled in advance as the workplace health and safety regulator aims to collaborate with farmers on their duties to improve safety for farms and farming teams.
Last year, agriculture recorded 16 work-related deaths, making it the country’s deadliest sector, with four more deaths than in 2023.
In the year ending October 2024, there were 1,491 injuries causing more than a week off work, compared to 1,722 in the same period in 2023.
To date this year, five deaths have occurred in the agriculture, forestry, and fishing workforce, primarily related to quad bike rollovers or other vehicle accidents.
The fatalities occurred in Canterbury, Northland, Bay of Plenty, Otago, and Hawke’s Bay.
“Farm vehicle incidents are one of the top two causes of workplace deaths in Aotearoa. While some of WorkSafe’s investigations involving farm work are still ongoing, it appears that every agricultural-related death so far in 2025 involved a farm vehicle, mostly ATVs and quad bikes,” WorkSafe area manager Carl Baker said.
He said farming is a way of life, and health and safety must be integrated into that lifestyle.
Anyone operating or riding a farm vehicle must prioritise assessing the risks of terrain and tasks, especially during this time of year.
Sloped surfaces and steep terrain have contributed to fatal incidents and accidents in numerous cases.
WorkSafe recommended that farmers consider fitting crush protection or rollover protection devices on vehicles and ensure the appropriate vehicle is chosen for each task.
Baker said seatbelts should be worn if available, along with helmets, and that riders must stay on top of vehicle maintenance and consider taking quad bike training.
Worksafe said visits were not intended to catch people out, so farmers were being contacted to arrange a convenient time. Insights would be shared across the industry to showcase what is working well and identify areas where extra support or resources may be required.