Powerline safety campaign for Queensland agriculture
You may have heard that Workplace Health and Safety Queensland is undertaking an active compliance program to reduce hazards around working near powerlines in the agricultural industry.
This statewide campaign is focusing on reducing the risk of workers or plant coming within an unsafe distance of electrical powerlines with a particular emphasis on maintaining exclusion zones.
Working near powerlines is a serious risk—touching them or straying into an exclusion zone around them can result in an electric shock which can be severe and even fatal. Therefore, farmers, contractors and individuals operating heavy machinery near these lines need to be aware of the serious risks they pose.
Operational data shows that the agricultural sector is overrepresented in terms of powerline contact incidents.
Since 2021 there have been three fatalities and 113 powerline strikes in Queensland's agricultural sector—many involving mobile equipment, irrigation systems or aerial activities.
Therefore, this campaign will focus on the safety of workers and others in the agriculture sector from electrical hazards by ensuring businesses meet the requirements of Queensland's electrical safety laws.
Throughout this campaign WHSQ inspectors will:
- conduct audits of farms throughout Queensland to assess their management of electrical risks and safe work practices near powerlines
- focus on critical areas, including hazard identification, safe systems of work, avoidance of exclusion zones, training and emergency planning
- issue compliance notices and potentially also financial penalties where breaches are identified in accordance with the Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement Policy.
All farmers and workers in the agricultural industry should have a good practical understanding of the electrical safety laws and use safe work practices.
An important first step to ensure that you are ready is to conduct a risk assessment of your property which may include:
- identifying and assessing powerline locations entering and crossing your property
- measuring and recording the height and reach of machinery and equipment or activities which might enter an exclusion zone
- consulting with your local electrical entity and requesting safety advice before the work commences (i.e. during the work planning phase and continually each season as conditions may change)
- eliminating or minimising risks of straying into an exclusion zone—documenting site-specific risk assessments and developing safe systems of work that ensure a safe distance from powerlines is maintained (stay outside the exclusion zone)
- implementing, maintaining and reviewing risk control measures to ensure they work effectively (ongoing process that should be implemented each day and season after season)
- consulting, inducting, informing and training workers and contractors in the safe systems of work including emergency plans and rescue procedures.
These helpful resources contain valuable practical advice on how to stay safe: