Maintaining a safe workplace is everyone’s responsibility. This section offers information and tools to help you manage risks and protect health, safety and wellbeing.
Everything you need to know about worker’s compensation insurance, whether you’re an employer needing to insure your workers or a worker who’s been injured at work.
Your rehabilitation and return to work journey will be easier if you know your options, the steps to take, and who’s responsible for what.
Information about work health and safety and electrical licensing, registration and training.
Learn about the Acts, Regulations and codes of practice we are responsible for and find information on workplace inspections and prosecutions.
Find health and safety information and guidance about your industry and the kind of work you do.
A listing of useful resources available on the website. Use the in-page search or filters to find what you need.
This section includes information on specific hazards and risks in the agriculture, forestry and fishing industry.
Farm animals can cause serious injury if not handled properly.
Casual workers can be employed directly by an employer or via a labour hire agency. In general terms, you should treat every casual worker as if they were one of your full-time workers.
Cattle are large animals that can move quickly and be aggressive. Their ease of handling can differ due to previous experiences, breed characteristics and psychological state. Workers face a range of risks when handling cattle.
Children on farms are exposed to many hazards. Find out what you can do to protect them, and what your legal responsibilities are.
Information about construction in the agriculture, forestry and fisheries workplaces.
You must have a Queensland issued driver’s licence to drive plant on the road, with a suitable endorsement for the plant being driven.
There are a number of hazards associated with elevating work platforms (fixed, adjustable and automated).
Rural properties must be prepared for emergencies, provide workers with amenities and access to an adequate first aid trained person and equipment.
Harvest is a busy time on a farm. With lots of ripe fruit ready to pick and pack and only a short time available to do the work, there can be lots of additional people and machinery at work. This presents a range of safety risks.
Guidance on managing risks to health and safety arising from the storage, use, transport and disposal of chemicals at rural workplaces.
Health and safety tips for the agriculture, forestry and fishing industry.
Horses pose a significant safety risk and can cause serious injury if not handled properly. Find out about the risks of horse handling and how you can keep yourself and others safe.
Agriculture, forestry and fisheries plant includes a range of machinery and equipment including farm vehicles such as tractors and quad bikes.
Employers or self-employed people in the agriculture, forestry and fisheries industry need to protect themselves and their workers from the risk of exposure to excessive noise and manual tasks.
Pigs can cause serious injury if not handled properly. Learn about the risks involved in pig handling and how to keep yourself and others safe.
How to manage the risks faced by remote or isolated workers the legal requirements associated with these risks.
Risks and solutions associated with handling loads when manually loading crates, boxes or bags of produce onto pallets in a harvest aid.
Farm vehicles and harvesters are a major cause of death and serious injury to workers and family members, including children, on farms. Operators, passengers, and bystanders are all at risk.
Putting goods onto pallets makes it easier to transport and store them. Crops can be packed directly into pallets during harvest. Packing, unpacking, or and moving pallets has risks that can result in serious injury.
Loading and unloading pallets of goods or produce are repetitive tasks that can easily lead to serious injury if the risks aren't removed.
Good preparation and a detailed understanding of the risks of loading and unloading cattle can help to keep cattle producers, livestock transport operators, and cattle handlers safe.
Specialised tasks like packing produce on farms require the use of specialised fixed plant in packing sheds. Workers are exposed to a range of risks when using, cleaning, and maintaining fixed plant.
Sorting and grading goods on conveyors saves time and money and helps to keep the quality high. But it comes with the risk of serious injury.
Risks and solutions associated with moving produce from produce bins.
As the rural workforce continues ageing, there's an increased risk of fatalities and serious injuries.
Serious about farm safety guide was developed by Workplace Health and Safety Queensland and agricultural industry representatives to assist small to medium sized agricultural businesses to develop a system to manage health and safety risks around the farm and other agricultural workplaces.
Sheep handling activities such as mustering, crutching, and shearing can put workers at risk of illness or injury. Find out about the risks involved in handling sheep and how to keep yourself and others safe.
Falls, engulfment and subsequent suffocation, entanglement in machinery, and exposure to silo gases, dusts, and moulds are some of the main safety risks and causes of silo injuries, illnesses, and deaths.
Many accidents occur on farms as a result of run-down and unsafe stockyards. Poorly designed stockyards result in more handling hours and increase the risk of injury to both the handler and stock.
After harvesting, hay is baled. With some hay bales weighing as much as 800 kg, it is important to understand the risks of working with hay bales.
Workers who are exposed to the sun are at risk of being overexposed to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) – especially in Queensland. Cumulative exposure to UVR can cause sunburn in the short term and can lead to skin cancer and eye damage in the long term.