Tuesday 2nd March 2021

Safety News Round-Up: Tuesday 2nd March 2021

Farmers urged to put safety first. Agriculture remains one of Victoria's most dangerous industries despite only employing about two per cent of its workers. Victorian farmers and workers make up about 14 per cent of the state's annual workplace fatalities.

In the past three years, 24 people have died in farm incidents, whilst 424 people working in agriculture were seriously injured. 79 per cent of farm fatalities were involved with vehicles over the past decade.

Last month saw two tractor accidents - in one, a woman was flown to the Royal Melbourne Hospital after being trapped under a tractor. In the other, a man was taken to hospital with leg injuries.

WorkSafe have launched a six-week advertising campaign across all media outlets this week, targeting owner-operator farmers, workers, and their families; this highlights the cost of not putting safety first.

WorkSafe Executive Director of Health and Safety, Julie Nielsen, said, "Farmers know their land and machinery like the back of their hand, but that doesn't make you bulletproof."

Read the full story on The Courier website.

Is COVID-19 Vaccination Mandatory for Workers?

No, employers can not force workers to be vaccinated in most cases. Information relating to the COVID-19 vaccinations from the Fair Work Ombudsman and Safe Work Australia confirms this position.

There is currently no state or territory public health order requiring COVID-19 vaccinations to date. Nothing specific in the WHS laws requires employers to mandate vaccination to meet their duties to eliminate the risk of COVID-19 in the workplace.

An obligation exists, however, for employers to undertake risk assessments and provide for the safety of workers, so the line becomes grey when it comes to issuing directions to employees on vaccinations.

As vaccinations roll out during the year, it will be interesting to see how workplaces handle directions from employers to have staff vaccinated.

Many other risk-mitigation measures such as social distancing, face masks and working from home remain available tools for employers to use.

For more legal view points on this, head to the Monaq website.

More Workplace Safety News

Stay informed with our latest safety news round-ups, including coverage from Tuesday 9th March 2021, Tuesday 23rd March 2021, and Tuesday 30th March 2021 for further updates on farm safety, vaccination guidance, and other workplace developments across Australia.