Farms are homes as well as workplaces. We all have a part to play in improving farm safety, health and wellbeing.
According to Agriculture Victoria, farms make up 14 per cent of all workplace fatalities, despite employing only 2 per cent of working Victorians. On average, 2 people are injured on Victorian farms every day. Some of the key risk factors for injury or death on farms are:
Working long hours and in isolation
Unsafe or unfamiliar equipment use
Animal handling
Electrical safety.
People living and working in farming communities can have ongoing mental health challenges linked to high exposure to natural disasters and extreme climate events.
Farming activities are also linked to chronic health problems – such as hearing loss, chronic pain and respiratory problems. These affect the wellbeing of our farming communities.
Machinery and farm technology improvements have reduced safety hazards over time, but there is still more we can do to reduce risks and improve mental health concerns.
There is a need to ensure the safety, health and wellbeing of people living, working and playing on farms are prioritised in everyday farm decisions – to create a culture of safety on farms.
To change farm safety culture, industry, government and others need to provide consistent messaging and minimise barriers to safety.
The Victorian Government is investing in initiatives to improve farm safety including: Farming Safe and Well program
Farming Safe and Well is a $2.1 million program delivering activities and resources to improve farm safety outcomes in Victoria over 3 years.
The program is delivering farm safety communications and engagement activities and targeted interventions to address farm safety priorities, including protocols to address the farm safety risks associated with natural disasters.
Farming Safe and Well builds on the successes of the Smarter, Safer Farms program by:
Improving farm safety culture by designing resources based on behavioural evidence.
Collaborating with other agencies and organisations to extend on their program activities with a focus on cross-promotion rather than duplication.
Developing capability across Agriculture Victoria’s services, networks and programs to support improved farm safety culture.
Farming Safe and Well partners with other organisations, including:
National Centre for Farmer Health – Shifting Gears
University of Canberra – Regional Wellbeing Survey
Fruit Growers Victoria – Farm safety videos
Gardiner Foundation – engagement of CALD people in agriculture
Making Our Farms Safer
Making our Farms Safer improves safety outcomes on Victorian farms by providing free services and resources to all Victorian farmers through farm safety advisory services and other activities which support workplace safety.
Making Our Farms Safer resources include:
Stay farming longer and safer – a handbook for older farmers and their families.
Dining table talks – a video series of key OH&S topics regularly discussed during farm safety visits.
Child safety on farms – a guidebook for farming parents, grandparents, and caregivers.
Farm machinery safe operating procedures – a series of videos to support farmers in correctly carrying out high-risk tasks.
National Centre for Farmer Health
Agriculture Victoria partners with the National Centre for Farmer Health (NCFH) to support delivery of key health programs to farming communities in Victoria. The NCFH contributes to continuing farm safety culture change and mental health and wellbeing outcomes for farmers and their families, and provides support to farming communities during crisis events, such as bushfires and floods.
Farmers, farm workers and farming families are encouraged to take charge of their health and book for a free health check today, get involved in the NCFH programs or access health, wellbeing and safety resources.
Shifting Gears – supporting educators to deliver farm safety education
Farming Safe and Well is providing free access for Victorian teachers to the National Centre for Farmer Health Shifting Gears resources. These resources will soon be available at no cost through to early 2026. The Shifting Gears program provides educators with appropriate teaching materials to facilitate meaningful discussions on farm safety within the classroom. These resources are suitable for students year 9 to 12 and may be of interest for students who live or work on farms or have an interest in agriculture, such as those enrolled in agriculture or horticulture studies.
For more information about the program head to Shifting Gears .
Regional Wellbeing Survey
The Regional Wellbeing Survey collects data across rural and regional Australia to better understand wellbeing, liveability and resilience in the rural and regional communities. Since 2020, Agriculture Victoria has partnered with the University of Canberra to develop a deeper understanding of work health and safety risks among the Victorian agriculture workforce.
The Farming Safe and Well program is funding an expanded sample of Victorian farmers in the 2025 survey to examine farm safety culture change.
Information collected in the survey is used to assess quality of life for those living in rural and regional communities and helps to inform health and wellbeing program design. Get involved in the Regional Wellbeing Survey and sign up to email updates.
Reports from the Regional Wellbeing Survey results are available online.
