Mobile Plant Research
| Research organisation | Work Science |
| Project leads | Dr Tristan Casey |
| Timeline | August 2022 to November 2023 |
| Size | About $165,000 |
| Co-investors |       |
Mobile plant is the lead agent for fatalities on farm. While tractors and quad bikes are the predominate agents, one in every 10 fatalities on farm is associated with other mobile plant types such as forklifts, slashers, grain augers. The objective of this project was to foster safe use of mobile plant on farms by better understanding current practices and perceptions, and identifying practical ways to underpin its safe use.
The research was conducted by Work Science in 2023 and 2024 and included a scoping literature review, interviews with 49 industry people and surveys of 229 growers. The study found that the potential for injury from mobile plant use concerns many in the agricultural industries, and that most growers (90%) believe others on farm expect a high standard of safety when risky plant is used.
A case study of mobile augers identified several opportunities where industry more broadly could action to help improve safety on farm, including – around auger guarding, safety messaging for older equipment and sector-wide induction resources to underpin safe use.
The various project outputs can be accessed from this page or click here for the suite. For more information, please contact the RSHA Secretariat pauline@harrisparkgroup.com.au.