9 August 2005

Award for FarmSafe well-deserved

The FarmSafe programme is addressing the horrific accident rate on New Zealand farms, Agriculture Minister Jim Sutton said today.

"The agriculture sector has as many fatal accidents as all other New Zealand industries combined.

"Every day, 11 farmers are seriously injured on the job, and 1 farmer dies every fortnight, on average. Self-employed farmers have far more than their share of accidents."

FarmSafe - a dedicated programme aimed at reducing farm-related injuries - won one of the major prizes in New Zealand's first Community Safety and Injury Prevention Awards announced today. Developed by the Safe Communities Foundation and ACC, the awards aim to recognise, reward and promote excellence in injury prevention and safety promotion.

The programme is designed for the rural sector, and includes practical steps to increase safety around the farm. More than 14,500 farmers, farm staff and families attended FarmSafe programmes in the last two years.

Mr Sutton congratulated Federated Farmers and the Agriculture ITO, Agriculture NZ, and Telford Rural Polytechnic for their efforts to improve the sector's safety record.

"FarmSafe has been a great tool, specifically tailored for farmers' particular needs."

Mr Sutton said the simple FarmSafe programme has helped change people's attitudes.

"Encouraging a culture of safety and injury prevention has been a key focus of the Labour-led government's work in ACC, health and workplace safety.

"Together with the initiatives like the ones recognised by these awards, we can have safer communities," Mr Sutton said.

For more about Safety NZ activities and information, visit: www.safetynz.co.nz.

ENDS

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