6.1 Dissemination and
uptake of farm health and safety R&D
Objective 1
Improve the mechanisms for the uptake of
recommendations for health and safety on farms.
Strategies
-
Demonstrate and develop communication strategies
that have been effective in the extension of results from agricultural
R&D into farm practice.
-
Develop and re-assess training competencies
for farm health and safety.
-
Benchmark best practice with regard to health
and safety with other industries in Australia and agricultural industries
internationally.
-
Demonstrate and develop effective education
and training strategies to develop the skills necessary for adoption of
best practices in farm health and safety.
-
Undertake research on barriers to uptake,
including attitudes to legislation.
-
Undertake research into the economic impact
of health and safety recommendations.
· To identify
and address health and safety issues arising from the restructuring of
the agricultural industry in Australia, including:
- Relative risk of farming women
- Child care and child safety
- Ageing farmers
- Adolescents and young people
- Research needs identified by mental health
and suicide strategies
- Access to health services, including
rehabilitation
- Dissemination of research results to
training programs
- Effective on-farm first aid management;
and
- Ongoing identification of emerging issues
in general, and within emerging commodity sectors such as ostrich and alpaca
production.
-
Review key change agents in farm health and
safety. Describe the effectiveness of current agents of change, such as
state occupational health and safety authorities, farm women and farm safety
action groups. Describe the potential effectiveness of other agents of
change, such as children, young farmers and health services providers.
Targets/performance indicators
-
Research on farm health and safety benchmarks
completed and baseline levels determined by June 1998 (Australian targets
to be set by Farmsafe based on benchmark research).
-
Key agents of change, their roles and needs,
defined by June 2000.
-
Barriers to uptake identified from December
1998.
-
Effective strategies for the uptake of health
and safety recommendations on farms identified by December 2001.
6.2 Statistics/occurrence
data
Objective 2
To develop a national network of databases,
with comprehensive case data on farm-related deaths, injuries and illness,
and the circumstances and experiences surrounding these.
Strategies
-
Encourage the relevant use of an optimal dataset
by health, occupational health and agricultural sectors.
-
Expand and coordinate the network of databases
at all levels to make information collected on deaths, injuries and illness
and the circumstances surrounding these more comprehensive and compatible.
-
Include information drawn from discussion
with farmers, farm families and others, on the experience of farm-related
deaths, injuries and illness, the circumstances leading to them and preventive
strategies.
-
Locate or collect population data relevant
to farm health and safety that acknowledge differences between work groups
such as full time, part time and seasonal workers.
-
Survey user satisfaction with the national
database network.
Targets
-
Three states report the use of an optimal
data system by December 2001.
-
Methods to locate or collect population data
defined in December 1997 and data collection implemented by December 1999.
Performance indicator
-
Survey results show a high level of user satisfaction
with the national data network related to farm health and safety.
6.3 Specific hazards
Objective 3
To develop specific hazard profiles for
each commodity group.
Strategies
-
Commodity groups conduct hazard analyses.
-
Commodity groups product and pilot on-farm
hazard audit.
-
Commodity Groups produce guidance material
to control risks associated with identified hazards.
Targets/performance indicators
-
Complete six commodity-specific hazard and
risk profiles by December 1998.
-
Complete fifteen commodity-specific hazard
and risk profiles by December 2001.
Note: At November 1996 four commodity groups
have hazard profiles under way.
6.4 New technology
Objective 4
To ensure that the health and safety impact
of all R&D projects in agriculture is an integral part of the design
of new technology.
Strategies
-
Require all projects for investment in agricultural
R&D to address "What is the health and safety impact of this project?"
-
Conduct research into whether health and safety
legislation requiring suppliers and manufacturers to provide safe and healthy
equipment and other supplies is currently taken into account in the agricultural
industry in Australia. Address the questions: what is the extent to which
this occurs? How does it occur? How can it be improved?
Targets
-
Bodies funding agricultural R&D have adopted
the requirement to address hazard and risk impact by December 1999.
-
Mechanisms to improve consideration of health
and safety impact at the design stage of new technology in this industry
are defined by December 1999.
Performance indicators
-
Bodies funding agricultural R&D have adopted
this requirement by December 2000.
6.5 Funding and
coordination
Objective 5
To increase Australian investment in farm
health and safety R&D.
Objective 6
To improve the use of available resources
through national coordination.
Strategies
-
RIRDC expands its farm health and safety
program by locating new partners.
-
RIRDC encourages increased expenditure
in Australia on farm health and safety R&D outside its program by taking
on an advocacy role, starting with the distribution of this report.
-
RIRDC establishes, or locates an organisation
that will establish, a national register of farm health and safety R&D
projects.
-
Estimate the baseline level of Australian
investment in farm health and safety R&D.
Targets/performance indicators
-
Plan distributed and feedback obtained
by March 1998.
-
The number of organisations participating
in RIRDC’s farm health and safety program increased by four by December
1999 (above the November 1996 number).
-
Investment in farm health and safety R&D
increased by at least 100% on the Joint Venture Research Program 1996/97
contribution by December 2001.
-
National project register established by
June 1999.
6.6 Best practice
in farm health and safety R&D
Objective 7
To ensure that farm health and safety R&D
projects deliver measurable benefits and contribute to future needs for
the farming community.
Strategies
-
The Farm Safety Joint Research Venture to
adopt the criteria for best practice in farm health and safety R&D
proposed in Appendix 4 of this plan as a component of their selection criteria
and to monitor its application at regular intervals.
Targets
-
RIRDC adopts the criteria for best practice
for the evaluation of projects from 1997-98.
-
Joint Research Venture partners issue the
next edition of the best practice criteria by June 1999.
Performance indicator
-
Joint Researchers Venture partners adopt the
best practice criteria for farm health and safety R&D by December 2001.
7
References
Coleman R, Fragar L, Morton C and Winter
K 1996. "The Profile of health and safety of Australian farmers, farm families
and farm workers", Australian Agricultural Health Unit, August 1996.
Fragar L J and Stayner R 1996. "Agricultural
health and safety in an economic environment of deregulation and restructuring:
current and future trends in Australia: A preliminary discussion paper",
RIRDC strategic planning workshop, Sydney, 24 September 1996.
Farmsafe Australia Inc 1995. "Occupational
health and safety in Australian agriculture: Submission to the Industry
Commission", January 1995.
Farmsafe Australia Inc 1996. "Goals, Targets
and Strategy 1996-2001", 21 June 1996.
8
List of Appendices
Appendix 1: National Farmers Federation
Council Motion #17.4
Appendix 2: List of Workshop Participants
Appendix 3: Agricultural Health and
Safety in an Economic Environment of Deregulation and Restructuring
Appendix 4: Farm Health and Safety Research
Projects from 1990
Appendix 5: Criteria for Best Practice
in Health and Safety R&D
