Tractors & Mobile Plant

Tractors and mobile machines such as loaders and telehandlers are essential on dairy farms — and a major cause of serious injury and death, to employees, family members and visitors alike.

As dairy farms get bigger and handle more feed, fertiliser and waste, the use of heavy machinery — and the risk that comes with it — increases. The business is legally responsible for keeping people safe around tractors and mobile plant.

What the business must do

  • spot and fix safety risks,
  • keep machinery in good working order,
  • make sure people are trained and supervised,
  • use safety gear such as seatbelts and rollover protection, and
  • regularly check that the safety measures are working
Tip

Standard operating procedures make safe use routine. The manual provides SOP templates for tractors and each type of mobile plant — for example using tractors (including the power take-off) and using a telehandler (see Standard Operating Procedures).

Your legal duty

Work health and safety regulations require the business to assess and manage the risks associated with using any plant, and most tractors must have rollover protection fitted. See Safe Work Australia – managing risks in agriculture.

The Farm Safety Manual – Tractors and Mobile Plant chapter, its step-by-step guide, and the SOP templates support this page 

Common questions

Why are tractors and mobile plant a major hazard?

They are essential but cause many serious farm injuries and deaths. As farms scale up and handle more feed, fertiliser and waste, the risk from heavy machinery rises.

What must a farm do to manage tractor and plant risk?

Spot and fix risks, keep machinery maintained, train and supervise operators, use seatbelts and rollover protection, and regularly check the controls are working. 

Do tractors need rollover protection?

Work health and safety regulations require risks from any plant to be managed, and most tractors must have rollover protection fitted; seatbelts should be worn.