Thread: WorkSafe: hunting on farmland

Originally Posted by Tahr

[url=http://saferfarms.org.nz/fact-sheets/visitors-and-events-on-farms/]Visitors and events on farms – Safer Farms[/url

Very cool link Tahr, thanks very much.

Running events, i deal with several farm owners and managers and your link confirms almost exactly what i tell managers and what is reflected in our events and shooting procedures... and now i have a link i can pass to them if they want to read it from someone else.

Cheers!

I think you are correct Tahr it's the fear of prosecution that's the prob, the fear of the ugh known, as a great pilot once uttered. That is my fear, a guys dies in my employ and I lose everything and go to goal, it's unfair and draconian for sure. I have no chance, I pray it doesn't happen, even with my H&S policy in place. That's the killer, why would anyone open themselves up to the risks by owning a small business. The cost of compliance is also a deterrent, but there's money in it, that's the big flaw in the system.

Thats true Tahr, we are not "barred" from allowing recreational hunters, visitors etc onto the property, BUT, the processes involved, and the level of trust we need to place upon those persons has lead us here to just put an end to any of that fullstop, and it is now written into farm policy, then its one less thing for us to worry about. There will be farmers out there that will continue as always, and there will be others like us who have decided its not worth the trouble.

Originally Posted by Maca49

I think you are correct Tahr it's the fear of prosecution that's the prob, the fear of the ugh known, as a great pilot once uttered. That is my fear, a guys dies in my employ and I lose everything and go to goal, it's unfair and draconian for sure. I have no chance, I pray it doesn't happen, even with my H&S policy in place. That's the killer, why would anyone open themselves up to the risks by owning a small business. The cost of compliance is also a deterrent, but there's money in it, that's the big flaw in the system.

Its a legitimate concern, but I think that the probability is very slim. I don't know of any precedent that supports your fear.

Originally Posted by Ryan_Songhurst

Thats true Tahr, we are not "barred" from allowing recreational hunters, visitors etc onto the property, BUT, the processes involved, and the level of trust we need to place upon those persons has lead us here to just put an end to any of that fullstop, and it is now written into farm policy, then its one less thing for us to worry about. There will be farmers out there that will continue as always, and there will be others like us who have decided its not worth the trouble.

Can't argue against that approach really. Damn shame.

A slight aside.
SAR teams now have to write up and sign a risk assessment before deploying to the field and try and save lives.

Time wasting, arse covering bullshit IMHO

Its a crying shame, I cant even really have a mate out to shoot a few gongs. Was funny though as part of all the scrutinisation we went through these past few weeks we had to explain the sign in/out procedure, which starts with ringing the farm manager before entering the property (my number is on a sign at all road gates), second day they turned up I was a couple of minutes late to meet them at the office, one of them jokingly says "youre late, hahaha" to which I replied "you didn't follow procedure and call me before entering the property so I actually assumed YOU were late..." Silence all round

We need to brexit this work safe shite -it's gone too far... it's as I heard once...its taken what was a good idea conceptually to protecting staff to rediculous extremes of impracticality and added unnecessary overheads and cost...

Originally Posted by Carpe Diem

We need to brexit this work safe shite -it's gone too far... it's as I heard once...its taken what was a good idea conceptually to protecting staff to rediculous extremes of impracticality and added unnecessary overheads and cost...

It will ruin everything that was great about this country.

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

It will ruin everything that was great about this country.

Well I don't 'like' this but it sums things up

Originally Posted by Tahr

Its a legitimate concern, but I think that the probability is very slim. I don't know of any precedent that supports your fear.

I don't want to be first, if I own a logging company, it would have been closed or sold the stress would kill me.
Test and tagging is a sample of the crap with H&S, builders every 3 months, engineering workshops every 3 or 6 mths, I have a couple of Engineering companies at a cost of over 3k every 3 months, including some repairs. This work can basically be done by an untrained idiot using a testing machine, a compedent person, whatever that is, or someone with a EST qualification but no practical experience! Testing single phase must be a challenge and three phase would be a nightmare for most. But on goes the tag and alls good, really, 3 k every three months for some unqualified guy or a nil practical experience guy to say alls safe? I have some very experienced guys working for me and at times it's still a struggle to sort some of this gear out. But there's the joke, it's all about paper work and money. Anyone doing this work should be suitably qualified with practical experience, or it's a rout!

Originally Posted by Ryan_Songhurst

Its a crying shame, I cant even really have a mate out to shoot a few gongs. Was funny though as part of all the scrutinisation we went through these past few weeks we had to explain the sign in/out procedure, which starts with ringing the farm manager before entering the property (my number is on a sign at all road gates), second day they turned up I was a couple of minutes late to meet them at the office, one of them jokingly says "youre late, hahaha" to which I replied "you didn't follow procedure and call me before entering the property so I actually assumed YOU were late..." Silence all round

Ryan you can, you own the land and the business, you can do what you like, it ain't Russia yet, I would simply put a system in place and assess my risk, and be safe, the odds are in your favour and nobody should take your ability to do what you want on your own land, deem the gong range your private property and not part of the business

Originally Posted by Tahr

Its a legitimate concern, but I think that the probability is very slim. I don't know of any precedent that supports your fear.

I do some poor builder in Wellington! $60 k I think, it stinks

Originally Posted by Maca49

I do some poor builder in Wellington! $60 k I think, it stinks

Yeah. I saw that and a few others. Pretty tough. But you were talking about jail and a ruined business and thats a big step up.

In the builder's case his insurance paid $45k of the reparation that was ordered. It pays to have insurance, although I think fines can't be insured against under the Act. Only costs and reparation orders I think.

Something else I think is that almost invariably when there is a prosecution its because of some pretty damn dumb behaviour, and not just WorkSafe being picky. A few dollars for rubbers on the ladder would have mitigated the risk for that builder. Despite the builder's instructions to not use the ladder, it was on the site, so was an accident waiting to happen.

Originally Posted by Maca49

Anyone doing this work should be suitably qualified with practical experience, or it's a rout!

thats me fucked