The Australian agricultural, forestry and fishing industry lends itself to being one of the most dangerous and physically demanding industries an individual can work in, with the industry recently taking out the award for most workplace fatalities and injuries per 100,000 workers.
The most common workplace farming injuries include:
- Working from heights and falls; such as shed roofs, atop tractors and silos.
- Tractor overturn accidents, pinning workers underneath the machinery.
- Soft tissue injuries, broken bones, muscle strains and amputations from operating machinery such as combine harvesters, forklifts, tractors and loaders.
- Motorbike, quad bike, AVT and car accidents.
- Burns from chemicals, electrics and fuel.
- Injuries from animals.
- Lung diseases from inhalation of dust, chemical fumes, gases and vapours.
- Hearing loss injuries.
Whether it be on dairy farms in Bega, vineyards in Griffith and Mudgee or the canola, wheat and barley farms stretching from the Riverina to the Central West it is obvious workers within the agricultural industry are at a great risk of suffering psychological and physical injuries which can lead to intense treatment regimes and severely diminished ability to earn an income.
Thankfully, compensation for farming and agricultural injuries exists in multiple forms including:
- Workers compensation claims;
- Work injury damages claims;
- Motor vehicle accident claims;
- Occupiers liability claims; and
- Compensation claims via superfunds.
The exact type of claim which can be made by any injured worker, such as an injured farmer, drover, farm hand, labourer, welder depends on the circumstances of the specific accident – where, when and how the accident occurred, if a vehicle was involved and also the severity of the injuries.
As a general rule however, the value of the compensation available to the injurer worker usually includes compensation for income loss, compensation for treatment expenses like seeing a GP or specialist, surgery and rehabilitation. In some instances, pain, suffering and the loss of enjoyment of life will also be compensated, along with payments for domestic care, cleaners and home modifications.
Often one accident may lead to the injured worker having multiple claims to make, meaning multiple compensation entitlements at their disposal.
Regardless of how minor an injury may seem at the start, RMB Lawyers always encourage any injured worker to reach out and seek expert legal advice as soon as possible after an accident occurs, to make sure all claims that may be available, are properly investigated.
RMB Lawyers conduct these claims on behalf of injured persons on a “no win – no fee” basis. This means that you do not pay for our time, effort and expertise unless you successfully bring a claim. If your claim is successful, the insurer will have to pay the majority of your legal fees and expenses.