Product Overview

This Agricultural Machinery Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) is designed to identify hazards, assess risks, and implement controls for the safe operation, set-up, and maintenance of agricultural plant and equipment, supporting strong WHS compliance on farms and rural worksites. It is a comprehensive document that covers multiple aspects of agricultural machinery use, from seeding and fertilising through to pruning and harvesting, helping you manage High Risk Construction Work and farming tasks in a structured, compliant way.

Activities & Specific Tasks Covered

This document includes specific risk controls for:

• Safe operation, set-up, and shut-down of automatic seeders, including guarding, isolation, and entanglement controls
• Use of fertiliser spreaders, including loading, spreading patterns, chemical exposure controls, and environmental considerations
• Operation of harrows, including safe towing, connection to tractors, and managing risks from moving tines and debris
• Use of harvester mounted pruners, including guarding, exclusion zones, and overhead and crush injury controls
• Safe seed drill operation, including calibration, depth settings, and controls for moving parts and pinch points
• Planning and management of seed drilling operations across paddocks, including traffic management and working around other machinery and workers
• Operation of Spagnolo multi-rotary head pruners, including blade safety, vibration and noise controls, and maintenance requirements
• Use of Spagnolo SG spur pruners, including correct set-up, safe cutting techniques, and managing flying debris
• Selection and pre-start inspection of tractors and agricultural machinery, including tyres, guarding, hydraulics, and safety devices
• Connection, towing, and disconnection of trailed and three-point-linkage implements, including hitching, hydraulics, and power take-off (PTO) safety
• Controls for working near overhead powerlines, underground services, and other farm infrastructure when operating tall or wide machinery
• Manual handling, loading, and unloading of seed, fertiliser, and spare parts to minimise sprains, strains, and crush injuries
• Managing dust, noise, vibration, and chemical exposure risks during extended machinery operations
• Emergency procedures for machinery entanglement, fire, rollover, and plant malfunction, including isolation and communication protocols

Who is this for?

This SWMS is designed for farmers, agricultural contractors, cropping enterprises, vineyard and orchard operators, machinery operators, and site supervisors responsible for the safe use of agricultural plant and equipment.

Specific Job Steps & Hazards Covered

Legislation & References

This document was researched and developed to align with:

• Safe Work Australia – Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice: Guidance on controlling risks associated with machinery and equipment
• Safe Work Australia – Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice: Relevant to fertilisers and chemical additives used in spreading and seeding
• Safe Work Australia – Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice: Controls for lifting, carrying, and handling seed, fertiliser, and components
• Safe Work Australia – Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work Code of Practice: Applicable to high-noise agricultural machinery and powered pruners
• Safe Work Australia – Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces Code of Practice: Relevant where access to machinery platforms or elevated components is required
• AS 4024 Safety of Machinery (series): Australian standard for the design and guarding of machinery to reduce plant-related risks
• AS 2153 Tractors and machinery for agriculture and forestry – Technical means for ensuring safety: Requirements and recommendations for safe agricultural machinery
• Work Health and Safety Act 2011
• Work Health and Safety Regulations 2017