Electrical Hazards on Australian Farms: A Rapid Review of Electrical Perceptions in Agriculture

Electrical hazards on farms are one of the occupational risks that contributes to farm injury and fatality. Whilst electricity accounts for a low number of farm injuries each year, it is disproportionately fatal. The aim of this study is to raise the awareness of electrical safety on farms by providing an overview of the literature that explores the evidence of farmers' perception of electrical risk. The review sought evidence of farmers' efforts to promote electrical safety awareness and uptake of electrocution prevention strategies.

A rapid review was performed following the Cochrane Rapid Reviews Method Group and PRISMA guidelines, searching grey and peer-reviewed databases with criteria that included both farming and electrical risk. This resulted in 35 key articles of interest and five themes.

The prevalent causes and contributing factors of electrical incidents and near misses on farms is not easily explained. Farmers overlook its presence as one of the hazards on farm, but at the same time the element of danger or threat of electrocution deters farmers from taking unnecessary risks. The data to profile farmers at risk of electrical injury is inadequate however the scope of risk is described through five themes: epidemiology, risk perception, exposure, intervention and prevention.

Due to the seriousness of electrical injury, intervention and prevention strategies need to specifically address electrical hazards rather than incorporate electricity as a risk into all of the hazards found on farms. The review recommends future work that engages with Australian farmers and farm workers to better understand their experience of electricity exposures, the risks they are willing to take around overhead powerlines, and their insights into how to make working on farms safer.