A year-long farm worker safety program aiming to reduce the number of injuries and deaths has launched in NSW.

The training scheme will be piloted later this year with about 1000 agriculture and farming employees, who will receive certificates of completion that can be shared with employers.

SafeWork NSW will use the pilot to evaluate the feasibility of introducing industry-specific safety cards for agriculture sector workers.

NSW Work Health and Safety Minister Sophie Cotsis says the sector remains one of the most dangerous in the state.

“There are more than 81,000 people employed across NSW’s agricultural industries, from farming and forestry to fishing, and far too many are still being seriously injured or killed simply by going to work,” she said.

“Too many workplace incidents on farms involve machinery, vehicles, mobile plant and animals – risks that can often be reduced through proper training, safer equipment, stronger safety procedures and better supervision.”

The program was one of several discussed at the annual SafeWork NSW Farm Safety roundtable in Wagga Wagga last Thursday.

SafeWork NSW responded to 11 workplace deaths in the agriculture industry last year.

Incidents involving vehicles – including quad bikes and other off-roaders – remained one of the leading causes of death and serious injury.

SafeWork NSW also launched a guide called First Steps to Farm Safety at the roundtable.