WorkSafe spearheads efforts to enhance safety in horticulture

WorkSafe New Zealand has published a report card that highlights the horticulture industry’s potential for improvement in handling hazardous substances and ensuring machinery safety, with a specific focus on power take-off (PTO) shafts on tractors.

Report card at a glance

• Inspectors assessed 659 horticulture businesses, including rural contractors, between July and September 2025.
• Chemical storage, labelling and safe handling ranked among the weakest controls observed.
• Unguarded PTO shafts remain a stubborn equipment hazard across the sector.
• Horticulture sits high on the regulator’s priority list because of yearly injury and fatality figures.
• Sector groups engaged willingly, signalling appetite for industry-wide improvement.

WorkSafe says it places a high priority on horticulture due to its contribution to significant work-related incidents and injuries annually.

During the period from July to September 2025, WorkSafe inspectors conducted assessments of 659 horticulture businesses throughout the country, which included rural contractors.

Project lead at WorkSafe, Carl Baker said the magnitude of the assessments allowed the safety regulator to gain a clear insight into the risks present in the sector.

“This was our most substantial focus on the horticulture sector in recent times. The industry, especially key sector groups, has been really willing to work with us. Ultimately, it’s about the sector working together, with WorkSafe’s influence to reduce harm.”

Why hazardous substances keep surfacing in findings

Agrichemicals concentrate risk. Locked storage, accurate inventories, current safety data sheets, spill containment and legible signage form the baseline inspectors look for, yet gaps appeared repeatedly across the industry.

Exposure often builds quietly. Decanting, mixing and spray equipment calibration place operators closest to concentrate, so documented handling procedures, suitable respiratory protection and refresher training carry real weight.

Personal protective equipment deserves attention beyond purchase. Fit testing, storage away from chemical residue, replacement schedules and issue records demonstrate that protection performs as intended rather than sitting unused in a shed.

Health monitoring adds another layer where organophosphate or carbamate products feature, giving businesses early warning of overexposure before symptoms escalate.

Practical controls for chemical handling

• Maintain one register listing every product held, quantity, location and classification.
• Match certified handler duties to job roles, then diarise certificate expiry dates.
• Bund storage zones and keep absorbents, eyewash units and showers within reach.
• Check that decanting equipment, hoses and measuring vessels stay dedicated to a single product line.
• Reduce lifting strain around drums by supplying trolleys, cradles and hoists.
• Post emergency steps in language every team member reads confidently.

Machinery guarding: PTO shafts under scrutiny

Rotating driveshafts cause severe, life-altering injuries within seconds. Guarding must cover the entire shaft length, including driveline connections at both ends, and stay in place whenever machinery runs.

Missing or damaged shields featured prominently among assessment results, alongside equipment modified, borrowed or purchased second-hand without a shield ever being refitted.

Isolation discipline matters equally. Shutting down, removing keys and confirming zero energy before anyone approaches a driveline protects employees who service, unblock or adjust implements under time pressure.

Building a maintenance rhythm

Scheduled servicing beats reactive repair. A written equipment maintenance calendar, tied to hours of use rather than memory, catches worn bearings, cracked shields and frayed cables before failure.

Pre-start checks give operators a structured moment to look properly. Simple sign-off sheets covering guards, lights, brakes, hydraulics and warning decals create an audit trail proving equipment received attention.

Fault reporting needs a clear destination. Anyone spotting damaged equipment should know who to tell, how an item gets tagged out, and when repair decisions follow.

Supplier relationships help too. Reputable equipment dealers source replacement shields, supply original manuals and confirm whether a guard design meets current standards.

Industry collaboration is doing heavy lifting

Sector bodies carry credibility regulators cannot replicate. Producer associations, packhouse networks and rural contracting groups translate legal duties into language that lands on the ground, which is why industry participation shaped this project so strongly.

Shared resources reduce duplication. Template registers, induction videos and guarding posters developed once at industry level spare individual businesses from rebuilding paperwork alone.

Training pathways matter as well, since industry-recognised certification gives crews portable credentials when moving between sites.

Benchmarking sharpens performance too. Once industry averages for guarding compliance or chemical storage become visible, slower adopters gain a concrete target rather than vague encouragement.

Buyers and insurers increasingly ask questions. Supply chain audits now probe machinery condition and chemical controls, giving commercial weight to industry expectations that once relied on goodwill.

What assessment results mean for the wider industry

Regulator visits rarely unsettle well-run operations. Businesses holding documented systems, trained crews and reliable equipment satisfy inspectors quickly, because evidence already exists in writing.

Industry-wide data drawn from these 659 visits now gives operators a clearer picture of where controls typically fail.

Labour peaks complicate matters. Short tenures, language diversity and rapid onboarding mean induction quality decides whether a new starter recognises a shielded driveline or an unlabelled container.

Contractor coordination deserves equal focus. Where several businesses share one site, agreements should spell out who supplies equipment, who verifies guarding, and who carries certification for chemical duties.

Directors also hold due diligence obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, so board-level visibility of guarding status remains essential rather than optional.

Steps operators can take this month

• Walk every shed, noting each item of equipment missing a guard, then rank repairs by exposure.
• Reconcile chemical inventory records against physical stock, disposing of unlabelled or expired product responsibly.
• Refresh induction packs so hazardous substances awareness and isolation practice appear early, not weeks later.
• Verify that every person authorised to run specific equipment has demonstrated competence, not merely watched a demonstration.
• Review manual handling of bins and picking bags, because strain injuries accumulate silently.
• Book a toolbox session covering spill response, then rehearse it instead of reading aloud.

Documentation that stands up to inspection

Paperwork proves intent. Registers, checklists, policies and training logs show inspectors how risk gets managed daily, and ready-made templates shorten preparation considerably.

Our Electrical Safety Checklist for NZ alongside site safety rules for New Zealand businesses suit operations juggling packing lines, coolstores and mobile plant.

Fixed wiring, portable tools and coolroom motors add electrical exposure beside guarding concerns, so an Electrical Safety Policy complements machinery audits neatly.

Consistent formats make industry benchmarking simpler when comparing performance between sites or seasons of trading.

Digital record-keeping closes the loop. Safety software captures inspections, corrective actions and competency evidence in one place, while our support team helps match documentation to industry requirements.

Related regulator campaigns

Comparable programmes show how targeted attention shifts behaviour: WorkSafe’s push for improved cattle yard measures, recognition of high performers through WorkSafe WA award recipients, plus Tasmanian efforts protecting road crews.

Consistent handling standards, dependable equipment and honest reporting deliver exactly the improvement WorkSafe seeks throughout horticulture. Additional information is available from WorkSafe New Zealand, whose published guidance details duties for chemical storage, machinery guarding and driveline protection.