The workforce

This industry grouping covers a wide range of activities, separated into fifteen groups

• Poultry farming
• Sheep, beef cattle and grain farming
• Dairy cattle farming
• Fishing
• Aquaculture
• Other livestock farming
• Deer farming
• Fruit and tree nut growing
• Mushroom and vegetable growing
• Forestry and logging
• Other crop growing
• Nursery and floriculture production
• Agriculture and fishing support services
• Forestry support services
• Hunting and trapping

5% of the total Tasmanian workforce

73% of workers are employed full time

6% of workers aged 65+, around twice the proportion state wide — the second highest of all industries

The injuries

474 injuries across the industry in 2018

44% of injuries in the last ten years resulted in at least one week off work

10.1 serious injuries per million hours worked

16% higher than the state average of 8.7

23% lower serious injury frequency rate in 2018 than ten years ago

The people

25-34 year olds reported the highest serious injury frequency rates

Sheep, Beef Cattle and Grain Farming reported the highest serious injury frequency rate at 24 serious injuries per million hours worked

1 in 3 workers injured in the last ten years worked in either Sheep, Beef Cattle and Grain Farming or Aquaculture

Farm, Forestry and Garden workers reported 54% of all serious injuries

The causes

The most common causes of injury across the industry

• Body stressing
• Falls, slips and trips
• Being hit by moving objects
• Hitting objects with a part of the body

Action areas

Priority conditions and causes identified in the WorkSafe Strategic Plan 2018-2023 relevant to the industry:

• Musculoskeletal disorders
• Hazardous manual tasks
• Slips, trips and falls
• Safe movement of vehicles and plant