The Rural plant Code of Practice 2004 (the Code) is currently under review. The review will consider what changes are necessary to ensure the Code remains fit-for-purpose and supports the agriculture industry to meet legislative obligations and ensure worker safety.
The current code outlines:
- how to manage and identify risks from rural plant
- duties to provide safety information on rural plant
- principles for consultation between persons conducting a business or undertaking, workers and others
- preventative measures for the safe operation of rural plant
- management of specific plant risks for tractors, quad bikes, side-by-side vehicles
- electrical risks, working at heights or confined space, and other specific risks
- training requirements
While not limited to the below key issues, the review will consider updates to address:
- tractor roll over protection
- quad bikes and side-by-side vehicles
- electrical risks
- isolation and fatigue
- technological advancements.
Consultation closed
You are invited to read the Rural Plant Code of Practice 2004 - Issues paper.
Written submissions were sought from all interested parties on the specific questions and key issues identified in the Issues paper. Consultation closed 5pm, Monday 29 November 2021.
We also conducted targeted consultation with key stakeholders and then worked with a steering group of industry and worker representatives for ten months to obtain advice on technical matters for the content of the Code.
Rural plant Code of Practice 2024 commenced on 23 September 2024
The Rural plant Code of Practice 2024 commenced on 23 September 2024 The purpose of this new Code is to help reduce the risk of injuries and fatalities by providing guidance on working safely with rural plant. Updates to the code are expected to have significant positive impacts on work health and safety outcomes for Queensland’s agricultural industry.
The Code will also support the agricultural industry to meet its work health and safety legislative obligations.
The Code incorporates feedback from the 2021 public consultation process. A wide range of stakeholders contributed valuable feedback, including workers, industry representatives, farmers, employers and health and safety experts.
The Code was updated through a Steering Group comprised of agricultural industry representatives, worker representatives, external health and safety experts and internal Office of Industrial Relations specialists. The group ensured that the Code is not only practical and accurate, but also reflects the latest in safety best practices tailored specifically for Queensland’s agricultural industry.
The updated Code incorporates the feedback of workers, key agricultural industry representative bodies and technical experts and meets the needs of the end users.
As part of the update, the Rural plant Code of Practice 2024 incorporates all tractor safety content. As tractors are rural plant and a common source of fatalities and serious injuries on farms, they are now comprehensively covered under the new Code. This means the Safe design and operation of tractors Code of Practice 2005 has been revoked and all relevant tractor content has been consolidated into the new updated Code.
Other key updates to the Code include:
- guidance on technology including the use of drones, quad bikes and side by side vehicles
- modernised content to remove outdated information (such as references to discontinued Australian Standards) and to include new diagrams and pictures
- guidance on
- how to consult, cooperate and coordinate activities with other duty holders
- requirements for high risk work licences for certain plant.
More information
For more information, refer to the Rural plant Code of Practice 2024 (PDF, 1.72 MB).