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ARTICLE · 30 APRIL 2021

Electrical safety on the farm

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Any workplace owes a primary duty of care to ensure their business is conducted in a way that is electrically safe.

AustraliaEmployment and HR
Edmund Burke
Edmund Burke
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The Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Act) applies to Queensland farms and other rural businesses. Under the Act, a person conducting a business owes a primary duty of care to ensure the electrical safety of their workers. Duties are also owed by officers of the business and other workers.  

If the Act is breached, significant financial penalties can follow. In the case of “reckless” conduct, the person can be criminally responsible and face five years imprisonment.

A recent Magistrates Court decision, Guilfoyle v Wicks [2020] QMC 11, reinforces the need for farmers and rural businesses to comply with legislation in this area.

Guilfoyle v Wicks [2020] QMC 11

In this case, a farmer and his employee were operating an auger. The auger came into contact with a high voltage powerline that ran overhead between two grain silos. The farmer and his employee were electrocuted and suffered serious and permanent injuries. 

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