AgSpares' Releases Worksafe NZ Rules for Tractor Operators

AgSpares, the New Zealand specialists in spare tractor parts, has released a set of rules and safety tips from New Zealand’s Worksafe. The goal is to increase safety levels within agricultural work environments in compliance with the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.

These Worksafe rules come amid the regular occurrence of work-related deaths on farms around the country while using tractors. These accidents often owe to impairments from drugs or alcohol, dehydration and exhaustion, failure to drive correctly on slopes, lack of maintenance, or other external factors such as fire, water, and fumes.

To battle these preventable occurrences, AgSpares is advising tractor operators with a list of tips to secure one’s self from these potentially catastrophic accidents.

Apart from these safety measures, AgSpares also reminds tractor operators to traverse slopes and hills safely, never turning down a slope and to make turns uphill whenever possible. Slow down and shift to a lower gear when on slopes.

Tractor drivers should keep alert at row ends and make as wide a turn as possible, applying a single brake in the direction of the turn. Drivers can drop any attached implements into the ground to act as an anchor when losing control and always put the tractor in neutral, apply the brakes, and disengage the power take-off before disembarking.

These are detailed measures to help workers stay safe while on their tractor. It is all about remaining vigilant and hyperaware of their surroundings while on duty as well as equipping one’s self with adequate knowledge on how best to handle situations when sudden problems arise.

To learn more, visit the AgSpares website at https://agspares.co.nz/