Agricultural OHS policy: towards systemic reform

Abstract

This article makes the case for a range of policy reforms which evidence suggests could substantially improve overall OHS performance with regard to agricultural chemicals. It focuses principally on incremental changes that could realistically be achieved without a radical reorientation of the policy status quo. These include: replacing the currently fragmented regulatory arrangements with a comprehensive and integrated regulatory framework; providing incentives for the marketing and substitution of newer, less harmful chemicals for a range of more hazardous older ones; developing more effective field-based mechanisms for disseminating information and raising safety awareness; engaging more effectively with a diverse range of stakeholders by including farming and rural community organisations in the OHS policy-making process; and providing credible regulatory incentives to compliance where none currently exist. It also foreshadows other opportunities for improvement in agricultural OHS and farm chemical safety that lie outside the boundaries of the traditional regulatory system entirely.