Tractors and Mobile Plant
Tractors and Mobile Plant safety

Tractors and their attachments are an essential part of dairy farming gear, but are still one of the major causes of fatalities and serious injury to all who live and work on farms. Operators, passengers, bystanders and children are all at risk.
Tractors of all sizes and ages are to be found on most dairy farms. As farms have become larger and handling of bulk materials has become necessary, specialist mobile machinery has become more common.
This type of plant includes, for example, industrial front end loaders and telehandlers.
As an employer or person conducting a business on the farm, you have a legal responsibility to ensure that everyone is safe on and around tractors and mobile plant.
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.

Work Health and Safety regulations require that you must assess and manage the risks to health and safety associated with use of any plant.
A good place to start is Step by step – Setting up for farm tractors, attachments and mobile plant safety on your farm
Further information | |
Safe use of tractors and attachments (WorkSafe Victoria) | |
Farmsafe guide on Tractors | site not available |
Front end loaders and their attachments on tractors (WA and NSW Workcover) |
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Post Drivers – Industry Safety Standards: a handbook for workplaces (WorkSafe Victoria) | |
Plant supply, design and registration (Safe Work Australia) | Website |
Licensing and training to operate telehandlers (WorkSafe Victoria) | Website |
In This Module
- Farm Safety Manual
- Getting started
- Quads and Motorbikes
- Farm Vehicles
- Tractors and Mobile Plant
- Fixed Plant
- Contractors
- Confined Spaces
- Working at Heights
- Power and Electrical
- Manual Handlng
- Working with Livestock
- Farm Chemicals
- Water and Effluent
- Working Environment
- Visitors, Children and Traffic
- Farmer Health
- Dairy Safely, Home Safely (main menu)