Keep visitors safe on your farm

What duties do farmers owe visitors on the farm?

Farmers must ensure that work areas on the farm are safe, and don’t pose a risk to the health and safety of any person.

Farmers must also ensure that farm buildings and immediate surrounding areas are safe for any person, including visitors. All entrances, exits and anything arising from the buildings, must not put visitors’ health and safety at risk.

Farmers are not responsible for the safety of people crossing a farm in non-work areas and away from farm buildings. However, they must ensure that work carried out as part of the business (at any location on the farm), doesn’t put others at risk. If risks exist from work previously carried out (e.g. spraying of hazardous substances), then the farmer would need to reasonably manage these risks for visitors.

People visiting a farm have a responsibility to take reasonable care that their actions (or lack of action) do not put themselves or others at risk. They must also comply with any reasonable instruction given by the farmer, as far as they’re able to.

Click here to find out more on the Worksafe website