Tractors and mobile machines like loaders and telehandlers are essential on dairy farms—but they’re also a major cause of serious injuries and deaths. This includes risks to workers, family members, and visitors.

As dairy farms get bigger and handle more feed, fertiliser, and waste, the use of heavy machinery increases—and so do the risks.

As an employer or farm owner, you are legally responsible for keeping people safe around tractors and mobile plant. This means:

• Spotting and fixing safety risks
• Keeping machinery in good working order
• Making sure people are trained and supervised
• Using safety gear like seatbelts and rollover protection
• Checking regularly that safety measures are working

Use the resources below to help prevent injury and ensure that you comply with this requirement.

These include Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) templates for tractors and each type of mobile plant on your farm.

Resources

The Farm Safety Manual aims to make it straightforward for dairy farmers to build and improve a comprehensive farm safety system.