New CQUniversity study focuses on addressing farm fatigue

A new CQUniversity study focuses on addressing farm fatigue, inviting farmers across Australia to take part in discussions on managing fatigue risks within their operations. This initiative marks a pioneering effort in Australia aimed at enhancing safety, productivity, and health within the agricultural sector.

In conjunction with the Rural Safety & Health Alliance (RSHA), the Farming and Fatigue: Growing Sensible Solutions project is designed to assist the agricultural sector in understanding, assessing, and addressing fatigue on farms. Researchers aim to highlight causes, impacts and practical management strategies that support both worker wellbeing and farm output.

Why This Study Matters for Farm Safety

This marks the first time research on sleep and wellbeing will tackle fatigue as a major risk within farming. Fatigue is a significant contributor to incidents during peak farming periods, when long hours and demanding physical labour push workers beyond safe limits.

CQUniversity believes the study will eventually provide a practical guide to help agricultural businesses of any scale comprehend, monitor, and address fatigue on their farm. Findings will support safer working conditions by giving operators clear information on how tiredness affects decision-making, equipment handling, and overall workplace safety.

Creating Useful Guides for Farmers

“The Farming and Fatigue management guide will include tools to help farmers identify ‘hot spots’ – where and why fatigue might be an issue in their operation, and controls to reduce potential harm of fatigue without impacting production,” CQUniversity said.

These resources are designed with real farming conditions in mind, focusing on practical safety measures rather than theoretical frameworks. By creating useful guides tailored to different farm sizes, researchers hope to make fatigue management achievable for smaller operations as well as larger agricultural businesses across Australia.

Supporting Safer Work Practices on Farms

Fatigue-related risks aren't unique to farming, but agricultural work often involves unpredictable hours, seasonal pressures, and physically demanding tasks that heighten danger when workers become overtired. Addressing these risks through structured study helps build safer, more sustainable work environments for farming communities nationwide.

Organisations seeking broader guidance on managing fatigue risks in other industries may find our new model Code of Practice on addressing workplace fatigue risk a useful reference point. Similarly, transport operators can review how the NHVR’s SA campaign focuses on driver fatigue to understand parallel approaches taken outside agriculture.

For farm businesses working to strengthen their own fatigue policies, SafetyDocs offers a Fatigue Management Module designed to support compliance and reduce workplace risk.

Read more here.