Workshop safety

Workshops are essential on a farm but they need to be safe places to work.  Around 20 per cent of farm injuries which require treatment in an emergency department happened during farm maintenance work.
Identify and eliminate potential hazards. You may not be able to remove all risk, but make the job as safe as you can and provide personal protective equipment (PPE). There are many potential hazards in a workshop:

• Badly designed working areas
• Electrical power leads
• Welding and grinding equipment
• Power tools
• Hoists used to work on farm vehicles.
• Poor lighting

Workshops should be kept tidy and clean to prevent slipping and other accidents.