Will you be making it home tonight?

The number of (non-intentional) farm-related deaths in Australia more than doubled last year, from 32 in 2023 to 72 in 2024, according to AgHealth Australia. However, the figure for 2024 is similar to the long-term average since 2001, a period during which 1,815 people lost their lives.

In 2024, farm vehicles (38) and mobile farm machinery (21) were involved in a large majority of the 72 total fatalities. The most frequent deaths resulted from accidents involving:

1. side by side vehicles (14)
2. quad bikes (10)
3. tractors (8).

Other causes of death in 2024 involved:

• other farm vehicles: aircraft (5), ute (3), truck (3), motorbike (2), trailer (1)
• other mobile farm machinery: post hole digger (2), auger (1), excavator (1), field bin (1), front end loader (1), plastic mulch retriever (1), rock picker (1)
• other reasons: dam/creek/river (3), hay bale (2), cattle (2), horse (1), insect (1), shed (1), ground/rock/stump/hole (1), other/not classified (7).

Males accounted for 63 (88%) of the 72 fatalities in 2024. This proportion is the same as the long-term average since 2001.

In 2024, there were 19 fatalities in Queensland, 18 in NSW, 16 in Victoria, 10 in South Australia, with the other states accounting for the remaining 9 deaths.

It is not just the young and inexperienced that need to be vigilant, because older people are more likely to account for the majority of fatalities. In 2024, 45 of the 72 on-farm deaths (62.5%) were in the 45+ year category. In contrast, 11 were in the 30-44 year category, 10 were in the 15-29 year category, and 5 were under 15 years.

For further details, refer to the AgHealth Australia data funded and published by AgriFutures in the 2024 Non-intentional Farm-Related Incidents in Australia report on the AgriFutures website: www.agrifutures.com.au.

Side by side vehicles and quad bikes were the two highest causes of non-intentional fatal incidents on Australian farms last year. However, appropriate safety precautions such as rollover protection and helmets, plus careful and responsible use, can reduce the risk. PHOTOS: SafeWork NSW and WorkSafe Victoria.

There will have also been many ‘near misses’ and many non-fatal injuries, small and large, that could have had an impact on farm labour, productivity and profitability, as well as personal and family stress.

Causes of injury on the farm can also include anything from manual tasks and repetitive motion, through to incorrect and unsafe use of hazardous chemicals. Farming also often involves physically demanding tasks, frequently undertaken outdoors in all types of weather, and often working in isolated areas – these aspects of the work exacerbate the safety risks.

Refer to the SafeSheds article in this edition of Beyond the Bale about preventing injuries in the shearing shed.

Taking all this into account, it is more important than ever to minimise the risk of injury and improve on-farm safety. There are many national and state organisations that have a role in helping farmers and everyone on the farm (workers, family and children, visitors) improve their safety, including their health and mental wellbeing.

One such organisation is the Rural Safety & Health Alliance (RSHA), which is a collaboration of rural Research and Development Corporations (RDCs) including AWI. The RSHA’s vision is for everyone on farm to see health and safety as a priority, and adopt safe practices – see www.rsha.com.au.

One way that the RDCs work to achieve this is by showcasing farmer-facing health and safety resources that are available from national and state organisations – see below.

This article appeared in the Autumn 2025 edition of AWI’s Beyond the Bale magazine that was published in March 2025. Reproduction of the article is encouraged.